Smile
by Brokenemptiness
Summary: [Complete] Rory moves to Stars Hollow from LA after her parents split up she has a dark past and it's not over yet but maybe with the help of the King of Chilton and her friends she can put it behind her
1. A day of firsts

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the idea, wish I owned CMM though.  
  
Rating: PG-13 for language and subject matter.  
  
A/N: This is a bit AU, Rory grew up in California, her Mom and  
Dad got married and were really rich but now, when Rory is 16,  
her parents split up because they realised that they no longer  
loved each other like that, that they got married too young etc.  
the same basic GG things apply though, Lorelai grew up in  
Hartford, doesn't get on with her parents, got pregnant at 16.  
This starts in September after Lorelai and Rory moved to Stars  
Hollow during the summer. Lorelai owns a chain of Inn's around  
the country and they have already established the relationships  
that are seen on the show.  
  
I got the inspiration for this fic from the Sean Mullen song  
lullaby. This is not a songfic but I will kind of be adapting  
the song to make the story.  
  
Rory looked at herself in the mirror and was disgusted. She was wearing her Chilton uniform. She couldn't believe she had to wear this monstrosity.  
  
'Rory, honey, are you ready?' Lorelai called through the door.  
  
'Yeah Mom.'  
  
Rory grabbed her bag and walked into the kitchen.  
  
'Wow, they haven't even changed the socks.' Lorelai stated on seeing her daughter in the very same uniform she had worn and hated. Rory was making herself busy pouring a cup of coffee.  
  
'Are you nervous?' her Mom asked.  
  
'I don't know. I mean I'm used to the whole private school thing but this is Connecticut not California.'  
  
'You worried about making friends?'  
  
'No. I have you and Lane, that's all I need but it would be nice to fit in I guess, despite the fact that they are rich hypocritical snobs.'  
  
'That's the spirit.' Lorelai said while drinking the last of her coffee. 'Ugh, enough of this crap. Let's go to Luke's.'  
  
*  
  
Lorelai pulled up outside Chilton and Rory got out of the car, pulling her book filled bag with her. 'Bye honey, I'll be back at three to pick you up. Have a good day and don't worry about anything.'  
  
'Thanks Mom.'  
  
Rory walked into the school, impressed by its size. Her school in LA hadn't been as big. She had been told to go to the principal's office on arrival. She found it easily enough. The secretary told her to wait, that Headmaster Charleston was with somebody.  
  
'He's with one of his regulars at the moment; it should only take a minute.'  
  
Rory said her thanks and sat down; sure enough she had only been there for a minute or two when the Headmasters door opened.  
  
'And Mr. DuGrey?'  
  
'Yes Sir.'  
  
'Come up with a better excuse next time.'  
  
Rory could practically hear the smirk in the boy's voice as he replied  
  
'There won't be a next time Sir.'  
  
'I highly doubt that Mr. DuGrey.'  
  
The boy, who Rory could now see, grinned. He was gorgeous. Blonde tussled hair, beautiful baby blues and a thin but athletic body. Basically, a god. He looked at her and smiled a killer smile as he walked out of the office. Rory was positive she had just seen the King of Chilton. The arrogance of his walk alone told Rory that he was the hottest and most popular guy in school and that he knew it. 


	2. New Friends

Disclaimer: Same as Chapter One, I'd settle for owning Milo if I couldn't have CMM.  
  
A/N: Thanks for reviewing, I hope this doesn't disappoint but in my defence, this is my first time writing for Tristan, I was a Jess shipper, still am actually but you gotta love Tristan.  
  
Rory's meeting with the Headmaster lasted about twenty minutes, giving her just enough time to find her locker and get rid of some of the five hundred books she was carrying. Her locker was along the top corridor, number 127. She was sure she had the right one but the combination didn't seem to be working. Losing patience, she hit the door in frustration.  
  
'Need help?' a male voice asked.  
  
'The door won't open.' She said turning around and coming face to face with the God. He smiled and put his bag on the ground.  
  
'There is a bit of a trick to it.' He said while leaning in a bit too close to Rory. 'Here, I'll show you.'  
  
Rory handed him the sheet of paper with her combination on it. He pulled out the dial, spun it to the end, pushed it back in and then put in the combination. Sure enough, the door swung open.  
  
'Thank you.' Rory said gratefully.  
  
'No problem Mary.'  
  
'My name isn't Mary.'  
  
The guy smirked and leaned in closely to Rory again.  
  
'You look like a Mary. Sweet and innocent.' He leered.  
  
Rory got the meaning of what he was saying by the emphasis he put on the word Mary. She wasn't about to let him realise that what he said hit a nerve for more than the reason of being teased.  
  
'The name is Rory.'  
  
'Tristan.'  
  
'Well thanks for the help but I have to get to class.'  
  
'Anytime Mary'  
Tristan smirked and walked off. Rory looked after him trying to decide whether she liked him or hated him. She noticed that the whole way down the corridor, girls said hi and guys high-fived him.  
  
'Yep, King of Chilton.' She said to herself.  
  
She looked at her timetable to find she had English Lit. She made her way to the classroom and sat in the only available seat, beside three girls, two blondes and a brunette. They turned to face her.  
  
'Hi, who are you?' the first blonde asked.  
  
'I'm Rory Gilmore. I just moved from California.'  
  
'I'm Louise, this is Madeline and the blonde is Paris.'  
  
'What school did you go to in California?' Louise asked.  
  
'Worthington.' Rory said  
  
'Wow, LA, I would kill to live in LA.' Madeline chipped in.  
  
'Trust me; it's not all it's cracked up to be.' Rory said with a sad smile.  
  
'What kind of grades did you get?' Paris asked all business.  
  
'Straight A's.'  
  
'And what's the situation on the guy front.' Louise asked.  
  
'There is no guy front. I never want another boyfriend as long as I live.'  
  
'That's no good Mary.' The now distinct voice of Tristan came from behind. Rory just rolled her eyes at Tristan's comment. Louise started to laugh as a pair of tanned muscled arms wrapped around her shoulders. This time it was Paris's turn to roll her eyes. Madeline turned to Rory.  
  
'Tristan has labelled you Mary?'  
  
'Looks like.' Rory answered.  
  
'That means he likes you.' Said the guy holding Louise. 'I'm Brad by the way. This is Mike and that's Alex. Apparently you already know Tristan.'  
  
Tristan smirked and leaned in to say something to Rory, which judging by the look on his face, would have her blushing until the end of the year. She was saved by the bell however as just as Tristan was about to speak, it rang and the teacher came in. the boys immediately got into their seats behind the girls, Tristan still smirking. 


	3. Explanations

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except the idea and the inspiration for that idea came from a song so.  
  
A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. When I saw them there  
was a happy dance involved.  
  
Thanks especially to Nat1, KITTY74, readergurl87, ilove2bcrazy,  
michelle22, Courtney, katia, not4me and a huge thank you to  
Lindsay and smile1.  
Thanks to everyone else who reviewed also, it means a lot coz  
this is the first story I've published here and it's the first  
time I've ever written for a lot of the characters.  
  
The day slipped by in a blur of classes, folders of notes and assignments. Rory was pleased to find she had all of her classes with at least one of the girls, all of whom were being friendly; she liked Louise and Madeline, even if their whole world revolved around boys. Paris was a bit harder to work out. She took everything seriously but was nice enough and had offered to help Rory catch up in any classes they had together. She wasn't too behind but she had missed the last month of school in LA so she did have some gaps in her notes.  
She only had three classes with Tristan which was a relief. She had already decided that aside from his looks, there wasn't much else she liked about him. He was arrogant as hell, not to mention a player and every single thing he said had some sort of double meaning. Basically the kind of guy she wanted nothing to do with. Not after LA. Lunch came and she was greeted at her locker by Paris. 'Hey Rory, come have lunch with us. We can get to know you.' 'Sure. Let's go.'  
Paris led Rory to the cafeteria where they took a seat at the main table, at the very top of the room. Throughout the day, Rory had learned enough about her new friends to know that she was sitting at the in-crowd table. It was her first day and already she had been accepted by the most popular people in school. If only her friends in LA could see her now. 'So Rory,' Madeline asked, 'what was with that no boyfriend comment in English Lit.?' 'Yeah,' Louise added 'what was with that?' 'Let's just say things with my boyfriend in LA didn't end too well.' 'What happened?' 'We were at a party, all my friends and I. One of my friends took something, she started to act really weird, she collapsed and we called an ambulance. I went looking for Dean, that was my boyfriend, I found him upstairs in bed with my best friend.' 'Omigod.' Paris said, 'What happened to your friend?' 'She got her stomach pumped; you'd think that she'd learned her lesson. She's still using as far as I know. I don't really talk to any of them anymore. It turns out a lot of them knew about Dean and Teri.' 'Jerk.' Madeline said, disgusted. 'Loser.' Louise agreed. 'Who are you talking about?' Tristan asked as he and the boys came up to the table. 'You of course.' Rory replied as if it was obvious. 'No seriously, who?' Brad asked. 'There's nobody giving you a hard time is there Rory?' Alex asked, looking as if he was about to get mad. All the guys, even Tristan seemed concerned; it turned out no one messed with friend of the guys' 'Mary, if someone is giving you a hard time tell us, we'll sort it out.' Tristan said in all seriousness. 'Thanks Tristan, I'm sure you'd do your best, but really I think I can handle it.' Rory said rolling her eyes. She thought it was sweet that they wanted to protect her but she didn't condone violence. 'We were just talking about her ex.' Madeline explained. 'Oh, what did he do?' Mike asked. 'He cheated on her with her best friend.' Paris filled in. 'Guys!' Rory said in protest. 'Sorry Rory but there is no secrets among friends.' 'Yeah Ror.' Brad smiled. 'What did you do about it?' Alex asked. 'Nothing, I moved two weeks later.'  
Tristan, noticing Rory's discomfort, sat on the seat next to her, having previously been on the table. Rory was looking at her hands, trying to not listen to the guys fight over who was more at fault, the boyfriend or the friend. 'Hey Mary.' 'Hey Bible Boy.' 'Excuse me?' 'Y'know you are making religious references, therefore you are Bible Boy.' Tristan looked at Rory blankly. 'C'mon Tristan. Mary, as in the Virgin Mary? Do you honestly think I'm that stupid?' 'I have no idea what you are talking about.' Tristan said while leaning in so all he had to do was whisper. 'But if you're uncomfortable being the Virgin Mary, you and I can get working on adding Magdalene to it.' Rory blushed and shivered. Tristan was so close she could feel his breath on her neck. She could tell he was smirking but a second later he pulled away and said to the guys who were still arguing with the girls. 'Come on, we'll be late for soccer practice.' They said their goodbyes to the girls and as they were walking past the table, Tristan winked at Rory who looked away. 


	4. Author's Note

THIS IS JUST AN A/N!  
  
Omigod the response is amazing you guys are the best, you have no idea how happy you are making me!  
  
KITTY74- thank you so much for you encouragement, I was so self conscious about putting this out there and you were the first person to review and I really appreciated your review for the last chapter.  
  
Carolinagirl2487- it's so funny that you said that to me because I had totally planned on bringing it in. I won't say how or when but trust me, in my head it's good so all I need to do now is get it out on paper!  
  
Thank you to everyone else who took the time out to review, it means a lot.  
  
Okay here's the problem, it's Sunday, I have a pile of homework due tomorrow and Gilmore girls is on tonight (finally season three has started over here in little old Ireland) and I don't have chapter four written. It won't take me long to do once I get started but it will have to wait until last I'm afraid. It'll be up Tuesday at the latest more than likely it'll be up tomorrow at some stage.  
  
Love you guys forever! You guys rock! And if anyone has suggestions, I'd be really happy to hear them, just email me!  
  
Katie angelfan51@hotmail.com xxx 


	5. Phone calls and gifts

Ramblings of a mad woman: Hey all how's it going? Well here I sit at nearly midnight on a Sunday night typing up chapter four for all you lovely people. Thanks again for the reviews and thank you to Smile1 you are very sweet. Unfortunately there is no Tristan in this chapter; I thought I needed to introduce Rory away from Chilton so I hope you can forgive me and find it in your hearts to review, but only if it deserves one!  
  
Rory was lying in her room listening to some music. She had finished her homework and was relaxing after her first day of school. She heard the muffled sound of the phone ringing and since Lorelai was out with Sookie, it was up to her to find it. After some searching, she eventually found it in the fridge.  
  
'Hello?'  
  
'Hey, how did the first day go?' her best friend Lane asked.  
  
'It went good, really good.'  
  
'What made it really good? Were there cute boys; were they hot in their uniforms?'  
  
'I'm part of the in-crowd. My new friends are the most popular people in school. There are three really nice girls, three really nice guys and then there is Tristan. And yes before you ask, all of the guys are hot.'  
  
'What's wrong with this Tristan guy?'  
  
'He's the hottest and most popular guy in school and believe me he knows it. Seriously Lane, you would throw up if you saw how arrogant this guy is.'  
  
'He's that bad huh? Well at least he's hot.'  
  
'I can't really argue there, blonde hair, blue eyes, cheeky smile.'  
  
'Sounds like you like him to me.'  
  
'I do not, he turns everything into something sexual and he calls me Mary.'  
  
'Ouch.' Lane winced. Rory had told Lane how Dean's excuse for cheating on her was that she acted like a Mary and she wasn't giving him any.  
  
'So how was your day?' Rory asked changing the subject.  
  
'Duh, not back to school until next week remember? I was in bed until ten before spending the day working in my Mom's shop. She went to church a while ago so I'm free for about five more minutes.' 'It's not fair that you aren't back at school yet. I knew there was a reason I hated you.'  
  
'You love me really. Did anything else happen today? You know I live through you, give me something, anything here.'  
  
'Dad called he said that he missed us and that there was a present coming for me tomorrow morning before school.'  
  
'Any idea what it is?'  
  
'No but he really misses me so I'm betting it's something good.'  
  
'Ugh, my Mom is back, I'll talk to you tomorrow.'  
  
'Bye Lane.'  
  
Rory hung up the phone and was walking back to her room when it started ringing again. Sighing, she went back and answered it.  
  
'Hello?'  
  
'You didn't say it I knew you wouldn't.' Lorelai replied.  
  
'Say what exactly?'  
  
'I told you haw to answer the phone.'  
  
'Mom I am not going to answer the phone like that.'  
  
'Why?'  
  
'Because.'  
  
'Why?'  
  
'Because.'  
  
'Why?'  
  
'Ladies and Gentlemen, the Williams sisters take centre stage at Wimbledon once again.'  
  
'Fine. Spoil my fun.'  
  
'How am I spoiling your fun?'  
  
'Because you're being mean and you won't say it.' 'I'm hanging up now.'  
  
'Okay be mean to your mother who bore you for nine months and gave birth to you and-'  
  
'Goodbye Mom.'  
  
Rory hung up the phone and started to count down from five.  
  
'5, 4, 3, 2, 1.'  
  
The phone rang again and Rory smiled as she answered it.  
  
'Hello, Gilmore House of Whores, Rory speaking.'  
  
'That's my girl. I knew you could do it.'  
  
Rory rolled her eyes.  
  
'Listen babe, I'll be home late so I'll talk to you in the morning. Love you.'  
  
'Love you to Mom.'  
  
Rory hung up the phone and went back to her room, deciding on an early night. When she woke up the next morning her mean spirited offensive clock said it was six am. Yawning, she got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen, in serious need of coffee. After two very strong cups, she felt she had the energy to stand up in the shower for long enough to wash her hair.  
When she got out of the shower, she went straight to her bedroom to fry her hair and to make sure she had all of her books. When she came out, Lorelai was standing in the kitchen with a smug knowing grin on her face.  
  
'Your present came.'  
  
'Where is it?'  
  
'Outside.'  
  
'Why did you leave it outside?' Rory asked walking to the door.  
  
'It wouldn't fit in the house.'  
  
'Sure.' Rory rolled her eyes at her mother. She opened the door and immediately started screaming. Sitting in her front yard, wrapped in a big red bow, was a silver Ferrari 360.  
  
Well folks there you have it, chapter four, hope it didn't disappoint and I hope the R/L stuff wasn't OOC I actually find them the hardest to write coz they are just so great on the show. Later xxx 


	6. Let the Games Begin

Hey dudes! Thanks for the reviews! I was a bit iffy about that last chapter but it seemed to go down okay so it's all good.  
  
Special thanks: all who reviewed I was so happy when I checked my inbox this morning; you guys give me a reason to get up on time so I can check my mail so thanks.  
  
Congratulate me because I am writing a book and I have been agonising over a particular chapter for ages and me deadline is nearly here and I got the hardest chapter finished today after what felt like forever! Anyway I decided to dedicate the rest of my night to writing another chapter of this thing here for all you wonderful people. I know I'm just such a wonderful person.yeah right! Ha!  
  
Rory pulled up to school in her new car and she couldn't help but smile when she saw people's reactions. She had arrived at school yesterday in an old beat up jeep, today she was arriving in a Ferrari. As she was getting out of the car, Louise, Madeline, Brad and Tristan were walking past.  
  
'Omigod! Rory that car kicks ass!' Brad called as he let go of Louise and ran over to inspect it.  
  
'Thanks, my dad got it for me.'  
  
'What did you have like ten birthdays at once or something?' Madeline asked.  
  
'No he sent it to me this morning as an 'I miss you present''  
  
'So you're a Daddy's girl then Mary?' Tristan asked looking at the car.  
  
'I guess you could say that Bible Boy but then again you haven't met my mother.'  
  
'I usually wait until the parents find me in their daughters' rooms to introduce myself but I guess I could make an exception if you really want me to meet her.' Tristan replied while wrapping his arms around Rory's waist and pulling her to him.  
  
The others rolled their eyes and walked off, they were meeting the rest of the gang to start a pool on how long it would take for Rory and Tristan to get together. Rory got a devilish look in her eyes.  
  
'Funny, I have the very same attitude to meeting guys' parents.'  
  
Tristan was caught off guard by this, he had expected Rory to pull away straight away and blush like the Mary he knew she was but instead she came out with that and only moved closer to him.  
  
'So do you like my car?' she asked innocently. 'Yeah, love it.' Tristan said his voice hoarse.  
  
Rory again got that look in her eyes and that smirk on her face.  
  
'So we have the same taste in friends and cars and we have the same policies where parents are concerned,' she stood up on the very tips of her toes so she could whisper into his ear, just like he had done to her in the cafeteria the day before.  
  
'I wonder,' she said while running her fingers along the top of his pants 'what other areas we might be compatible in.'  
  
Without another word, Rory turned and left before she started blushing. A stunned and very turned on Tristan stared after her in complete and total shock. He was always in control around girls and the minute she so much as leaned in to him, let alone started playing with his pants in the middle of the courtyard, he had been paralysed.  
  
Rory couldn't believe what she had done. She had been with Dean for nearly a year and hadn't even gotten past second base with him, she had known Tristan for an entire day and she was playing with his pants in the middle of the school courtyard for the rest of Chilton to see. At the same time she couldn't help laughing. She had shocked the hell out of Tristan who seemed to think she would've been afraid of touching him. Well that showed him anyway.  
  
Her day had flown by again and miraculously she hadn't bumped into Tristan again all day; that was until after school when she and the girls were at her locker. They were going into Hartford for a bit of shopping and some pizza as a kind of girls only bonding thing. They seemed really interested in getting to know her and she had to admit she felt the same about them. On her very first day they had just accepted her into their group of friends who, she had learned, had known each other since they were all in diapers.  
  
Rory was just getting her books for her homework and the girls had said they would wait for her. Tristan, who it turned out, had a locker straight across the hall came up to her. Paris, Madeline and Louise all just shared a knowing look, after two days Tristan was crazy about this girl.  
  
'So Mary, I was hoping we could study together.' He said, grinning.  
  
'Tristan, you have the third highest GPA of our class, why on earth would you need a study partner?'  
  
'I just thought we could use each other as study tools for Sex Ed.' He smirked.  
  
As much as she hated herself for doing it, she could feel the tiniest blush reaching her cheeks. Tristan smirked, after that morning he had had his doubts but if that comment could do it there was no doubt about it, she was a Mary.  
  
'Admit it Tristan, using me as a study tool as you like to call it would just be an excuse, because lets face it, you won't get near a naked girl any other way and we both know it.' Dammit Rory what the hell is wrong with you, you call that a comeback?  
  
'Mary, sweet naïve, innocent Mary, you wound me with your coldness. We both know that given time, you will give in to my charms, everyone does. Normally I get bored but I think I'll like the challenge you present. This is going to be fun.' He smirked.  
  
'Let the games begin.' Rory said confidently. Tristan DuGrey had no understanding of just how stubborn Rory Gilmore could be.  
  
Well, I hope all you guys liked it, I'm sorry that Rory had to be so OOC but really we can't have Tristan getting everything his own way now can we. If you guys wanna say hi, bitch about the crap you just read or praise it by all means hit that little button and send your comments my way. And to those of you who are suggesting a meeting between two certain characters, I had it planned before anyone recommended it so don't worry it WILL happen. 


	7. Pizza, Coffe and Banter

Disclaimer: HA! I wish. I have to break hearts though; I will admit that I do own CMM yeah right  
  
A/N: hey all, I should be studying for a big biology test right now but this is just so much more fun, again thanks to all who have reviewed it means a lot. enough of my ramblings and on with the story.  
  
Rory and the girls were sitting in a pizza house in downtown Hartford. They had taken Rory's car for a spin and had just spent the last hour shopping. Hungary they had stopped here and were now sharing a pizza.  
  
'So Rory, what's going on with you and Tristan?' Louise asked arching her eyebrows.  
  
'What do you mean, there's nothing going on.' Rory replied.  
  
'Please,' Madeline said in disbelief, 'he totally has the hots for you.'  
  
'And you're not exactly doing anything to discourage him.' Paris interjected.  
  
'Listen and listen good, I don't like Tristan I pretty much think he is the Spawn of Satan, he's the very same as my ex Dean and I guarantee you guys that I have no intention of going down that road again. Besides he doesn't like me he just wants to prove that I'll go out with him. It won't happen.'  
  
'Sure whatever you say Rory.' Paris smiled clearly not believing her.  
  
'Oh please Paris don't pull the jealous act, everyone knows you used to like Tristan.' Madeline defended Rory.  
  
Paris looked outraged and went a bright shade of red; she couldn't believe that Madeline had said that. Rory laughed and Louise giggled, clearly remembering Paris' crush. Not that Louise or Madeline could talk; they had nearly stopped talking over their crushes on him. The tree of them had learned from experience, no one no matter how hard they fought it could ever resist falling for Tristan DuGrey.  
  
'Rory listen to your friends, we know what we're talking about.' Louise said with an almost sympathetic look on her face.  
  
'Despite his efforts to hide it, Tristan is a basically good guy. You don't have to fall for him but don't just assume he's a jerk because he's Tristan King of Chilton. Give it time, he'll surprise you.' Paris told her.  
  
Madeline and Louise nodded in agreement. They were all to well aware of just how charming and endearing Tristan could be. Sure, he acted like a jerk a lot of the time and he was arrogant but there was just something about him that made people like him, it was damn near impossible to not.  
  
Before Rory knew it, her first week had passed, and it was Friday morning. She had been pretty tired last night and as a result she had slept through her alarm meaning she had only had one cup of coffee that morning and it was only her own crap, not the magic stuff that Luke, her provider gave her several times on a daily basis.  
  
As she walked though the corridors she found herself bumping into people and mumbling her apologies every once and a while. She somehow managed to make it to her locker without killing herself or anyone else. She could've sworn she was delusional because as she stood at her locker she thought she could smell sweet sweet coffee.  
  
Ignoring it, she opened the door to take out her books for her morning classes. Lo and behold sitting in her locker amongst her books sat the biggest cup of coffee Starbucks sold. Rory let out a squeal of delight as she immediately began to drink it, its mysterious origins in her locker temporarily forgotten.  
  
Standing at his own locker, Tristan smiled when he heard her squeal of joy over the coffee. He finished grabbing his books and made his way across to her locker.  
  
'Hey Mary.'  
  
'Can't talk. Coffee.' Rory said simply going back to the steaming drink.  
  
Tristan couldn't stop himself from laughing. He had talked to Louise the night before and she had made some comment about Rory being addicted to coffee. Rory finished the drink in record speed, not even flinching at how hot it was. She looked up at him.  
  
'Did you put this here?'  
  
'Are you complaining?'  
  
'Are you kidding? The biggest cup of the elixir of life Starbucks has to offer in my locker first thing in the morning? It's like Christmas.'  
  
'Spoken like a true addict.'  
  
'You say that like it's a bad thing.'  
  
'It'll stunt your growth.' He pointed out.  
  
'So I'll be short. I can live with that.'  
  
'But there'll be less of you to fantasize about.' Tristan mock pouted, he already though she was perfect.  
  
Rory rolled her eyes and shut her locker. She began to walk away in the hopes of escaping this guy.  
  
'For a second there I thought we were having an actual conversation.'  
  
'We were, a nice one I night add.' He said following her.  
  
'Do you try to turn everything into some sexual comment?'  
  
'No, it just comes naturally.' He smirked.  
  
'You know I really really believe that.'  
  
'Thank you.'  
  
'It wasn't a compliment.'  
  
'I know.' He answered  
  
'You're unbelievable.'  
  
'If you think I'm unbelievable now wait until I've had my way with you. You'll be speechless.'  
  
'I guess,' Rory said looking thoughtful 'I can already tell you'd leave me completely cold.'  
  
'Aw Mary you wound me.'  
  
'The name is Rory, learn it R-O-R-Y' she said drawing out the name like you might to a child.  
  
Tristan took full advantage of the opportunity Rory had given him. He completely invaded her personal space, leaning so close that Rory was thankful of the thick layers in her uniform. 'Rory.' He moaned into her ear 'Rory.' He moaned again.  
  
He pulled away to find her blushing furiously. He smirked as he created some distance between them.  
  
'Later,' he called as he walked away 'Mary.'  
  
Well folks there you have it, you know the drill. I won't ask for reviews but I will say they give me a happy not even coffee can and that's saying something! Later! 


	8. Dinner

OMIGOD I LOVE YOU GUYS! Seriously, ye are unbelievably cool.  
  
Smile- I love you, you are incredibly sweet and I just love reading your reviews!  
  
Bec- thank you so much for the review  
  
Fanfic_reader - ha-ha, I actually kind of agree with you. I was his biggest fan and it's typical because I get into a trory mood when season three is being aired over here and I finally get to see some Lit action!  
  
McKenzie- thank you so much, ha, where you are he's returning and where I am, he and Rory haven't even gotten together yet!  
  
A/N: even though they didn't borrow the money off of Richard and Emily (coz in my world they are rich) the girls still attend Friday night dinners. I just realised too that I say this is a romance/angst fic, I know there hasn't been much angst or even romance so far but it will happen, I just need to wait for the right time to bring in the angst.  
  
Rory and Lorelai parked outside the Gilmore mansion in Hartford. On Lorelai's insistence, they had taken Rory's car. Rory had tried to point out that the jeep would feel neglected but Lorelai brushed the comment aside by saying it would scare the jeep into behaving, something it hadn't been doing lately. When they got out of the car, Lorelai noticed a strange car in the driveway. Hoping Emily wasn't attempting to set her up again Lorelai rang the doorbell. The maid, Belle answered almost immediately smiling at Lorelai and Rory.  
  
'Good evening. Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore are entertaining their guests in the garden, would you like me to announce you?'  
  
'No that's okay Belle. Who are the guests?' Lorelai replied.  
  
'Janlan DuGrey, Mr. and Mrs DuGrey and their son I think.' Belle answered.  
  
The colour visibly drained from Rory's face and she gripped her mother's arm in alarm. Lorelai looked at her daughter in confusion.  
  
'It's Him.' Rory told her as if that explained everything.  
  
'Who?' Lorelai asked.  
  
'Tristan!'  
  
'Hot Tristan from Chilton that keeps coming on to you?'  
  
'Do I know any other Tristan's?'  
  
'I don't know do I?'  
  
'Mother' Rory warned.  
  
'Okay no more jokes, is he as hot as I'm picturing him?'  
  
'Ew, mom that's gross he's half your age, you'd be locked up.'  
  
'Only if I get caught.' She smiled evilly.  
  
'Mom.'  
  
'Okay fine I'll act like a civilised person and you can have him.'  
  
'I don't want him.'  
  
'Whatever.' Lorelai said, clearly not believing her daughter.  
  
'Why won't anyone believe me?' Rory asked in exasperation.  
  
'You deny it too strongly.' Lorelai explained before heading out towards the back of the house, to the garden. Leaving her anxious daughter to follow.  
  
*  
  
Tristan couldn't believe the change in Rory. He had thought she looked good in her Chilton uniform but she looked amazing in her baby blue summer dress which had thin spaghetti straps and finished about an inch above her knees. It took every ounce of self control he had and even some he didn't know he had not to say anything *distasteful* as the company he kept tonight would consider it. He knew better. His parents practically had to drag him kicking and screaming out of the house but now he was thanking them on a bent knee (at least in his mind) that they had forced him to come.  
  
Rory had been trying her hardest all night to ignore Tristan. For the most part of dinner she had felt his gaze on her which had made talking to his family and her own grandparents a difficult and uncomfortable experience. Her mom had excused herself a few minutes ago to use the rest room and as soon as she could, Rory followed her.  
  
'So that's Tristan?' her mom asked while they touched up their make up in the mirror.  
  
'Yep. He's on his best behaviour tonight. Thank God!'  
  
'It's a shame really; I wanted to see sex-craved Tristan.'  
  
'Trust me you don't.'  
  
'Okay but not even so mush as one comment or leer; I have to admit that I am pretty disappointed.'  
  
'His parents are nice enough don't you think?'  
  
'Yeah, his dad was exactly what Tristan is now when he was in school.'  
  
'So it's hereditary, I pity any children Tristan ever has.'  
  
'He's hotter than you described him.'  
  
'Mom, I really don't want to discuss Tristan's hotness with you.'  
  
'Okay, so tell me what's denial like this time of year?'  
  
'What are you talking about?'  
  
'I was just wondering about denial, y'know the river; you're swimming in it right now?'  
  
'That's it, I'm going back down.' Rory said in a fake huff. She knew her mother was only half serious.  
  
When she rejoined the others, she had barely sat down when her grandmother made a suggestion.  
  
'Rory, it's such a lovely evening and you kids must be incredibly bored listening to us old people, why don't you take Tristan on a tour of the grounds.'  
  
'Grandma, I don't really think Tristan would be interested in seeing the gardens.' Rory tried to get out of it. The last thing she needed was to be alone with Tristan.  
  
'Actually I think it's a wonderful idea Mrs Gilmore.' Tristan said with a smile, 'Rory, shall we go?' he asked standing up. Reluctantly Rory got out of her chair and led Tristan out of the room dreading what was to come.  
  
So. did ye like? I'm not to sure about this one so let me know what you think. I hope to have the next chapter up tomorrow but I have school, tests and a funeral to attend but I might be able to squeeze this in, I write most of my stories in maths class anyway so here's hoping my muse is with me tomorrow. Later, Katie xxx 


	9. The Garden

WOW, cheers for the reviews ye guys totally rock! I know that I've ruined my great record for updating quickly but I'm going to try and make this worth the wait. I've thought of another idea for a trory fic but it will have to wait for a while because for this week at least I will be under pressure trying to finish my book, my deadline is in five days!  
  
I have to say that I'm starting to think I'm totally predictable because a lot of people have suggested things that I had already planned, how and ever, such is life.  
  
Oh, I've been meaning to ask, does anyone know a Fanfic called 'Somewhere In Between' I don't know if it's old or new but I do know I liked it, it's a trory and it's AU. On with the story.  
  
Rory practically raced out of the house leaving Tristan to follow behind. She stood waiting for him in the gardens and tried not to panic at the thought of having to bring him around the gardens, especially now the late summer sun was starting to go down; it was totally and utterly romantic.  
  
As she stood there, she felt his presence come up behind her, not sure what, if anything, he was going to do, Rory stood rooted to the spot with her back to him. She felt his warm hands on her bare skin and before she could stop herself from thinking it, she thought it felt nice, it only lasted for a second however as then she realised that she was supposed to hate him. She jerked away a bit too quickly and Tristan grabbed the bait.  
  
'Afraid to touch me Mary?'  
  
'What on earth would make you think that?'  
  
'The way you just pulled away has me thinking that you like me touching you but you're afraid.'  
  
Rory turned to face him with disdain in her eyes.  
  
'Why would I be afraid to let you touch me?'  
  
'In case you touch me back.'  
  
'What the hell are you talking about?'  
  
'I think you know Mary but if you want to pretend like you're not attracted to me we can do that for another little while.' Tristan walked past Rory and seemed to looking around the garden.  
  
'So where are you going to show me first?'  
  
'You didn't come out here to see the garden Tristan.'  
  
'True but this isn't as private as I would like.' He replied suggestively.  
  
Rory didn't even dignify that comment with a reply instead she just started walking out towards the wooded area of the gardens. Tristan followed.  
  
'Why did you even come out here?' Rory asked in frustration.  
  
'To get some alone time with you of course, Mary.'  
  
'You don't like me Tristan, you don't even know me.'  
  
'I know you better than you think I do.'  
  
'You don't even know my name!'  
  
'Yes I do, I just choose not to use it when talking to you.'  
  
'To annoy me! That's not liking me!'  
  
'You do realise you can't lie? I think you secretly like it.'  
  
'That just goes to show that you don't know me at all.'  
  
Rory was starting to get a bit upset and Tristan didn't know what to do. He knew it wasn't about him, he was cocky on the surface but he was a bundle of nerves around her and he knew that his comments had only a fraction of the blame for the quaver in her voice.  
  
Rory had again turned her back on him and was walking away, he caught up to her but she wouldn't look at him, she just kept walking, her eyes straight ahead.  
  
'Rory wait, what's wrong?'  
  
'Wow, you actually used my name.'  
  
'Yeah, I think I might need to sit down, I'm starting to feel dizzy.'  
  
This got a half smile from Rory who knew that this wasn't an act he was putting on, he was trying to make her feel better, she looked around and saw a tree that was slightly isolated from the others but yet still in view of the house.  
  
'C'mon, over here, we can sit down.'  
  
'Y'know I was only joking about needing to sit down.' 'I know but you don't want to see the gardens and these shoes are for sitting in not walking in.'  
  
'Rory Gilmore going for fashion over function? Never thought I'd see the day. Louise and Madeline have rubbed off on you I see.'  
  
'No, it just comes from living with my mom for sixteen years.'  
  
'You act more like sisters than mother and daughter.'  
  
'Comes with getting pregnant at sixteen I imagine.'  
  
'Bet that caused a scandal.'  
  
'Oh yeah, according to my mom, my grandparents stopped talking to her until I was born and once she started showing she wasn't allowed to go out.'  
  
'Bet that was tough on your mom.'  
  
'Not really, she was happy to not talk to them and she snuck out everyday and went to Stars Hollow, that's why we moved there and not to Hartford when we came back, she had made great friends there and now I have too.'  
  
'Do you miss LA?'  
  
'There is nothing in that city I care about except my dad.' Rory answered with a hint of bitterness to her voice.  
  
'You had a hard time there didn't you?'  
  
'You don't miss a thing. It was great until the last month when I found my boyfriend of a year and my best friend in bed together and my other friend OD'd then of course I found out that my whole group knew about my boyfriend and friend. So anyway how did you become King of Chilton?'  
  
Tristan took the hint and didn't pursue the topic of LA any further. He tried to lighten the mood by putting his trademark smirk and cocky tone in place  
  
'Well when you're as good looking, talented, witty, ath-'  
  
'Enough, I would hate for you to knock over the tree with your ego.'  
  
Tristan could tell he had succeeded. Rory had a weak smile on her face and even a little of the annoyance she wore when talking to him. He noticed though that with every conversation they had, the annoyed look and tone grew weaker and weaker. A surprising thing happened then, they lapsed into silence. Tristan DuGrey and Rory Gilmore, king and Queen of banter sat in a comfortable silence. A few minutes later Rory broke the silence.  
  
'Who is winning?'  
  
'Winning what Mary?'  
  
'Our little game.'  
  
'You definitely.' Tristan said in all seriousness.  
  
'Not that I'm complaining but why do you think that?'  
  
'Well no matter what I say, you always have a comeback and I'm a guy so that means that I'm automatically losing just because of how you look tonight.'  
  
Rory blushed at his words not quite believing them but the comment was enough.  
  
'On the other hand I can make you do that quite easily.' This only made Rory blush harder and Tristan smiled a genuine smile.  
  
They looked at each other and for a split second Rory found herself liking Tristan DuGrey. *No Rory this is not allowed, stop this right now, he's too much like Dean, say something witty and push him away* Rory commanded herself, she couldn't let it happen, not again, she'd fallen for a player before and all she'd gotten was a broken heart.  
  
Deciding that boldness was the only solution, Rory raised her hand and slid a single finger down Tristan's jaw line. She felt a muscle tighten at her touch and she realised for the first time that whether he really liked her or not, he wasn't immune to her, she had some control over the situation. She traced a line along his neck and began playing with his shirt, grazing the skin exposed by the top two open buttons.  
  
'Tristan,' she whispered into his ear.  
  
'Yes.' He replied, his voice hoarse.  
  
'You might want to up your game plan, you're going down.'  
  
Rory pulled away quickly and stood up walking fast to escape a shell shocked Tristan. As she neared the house, her mother emerged from the back looking for her.  
  
'Hey sweets,'  
  
'Hey mom, are we leaving?'  
  
'Yeah, there's only so much I can take.'  
  
'Okay, let's go.'  
  
'What are you grinning about?'  
  
'What I'm not grinning.'  
  
'Yes you are'  
  
'Am not.'  
  
'Are too.'  
  
'There is that look in your eyes too.'  
  
'What look?'  
  
'The look I get when I make Michael do work, they one that says you just did something evil and are proud of it.'  
  
'Michael thinks your evil when you make him work?'  
  
'He always thinks I'm evil.'  
  
'How about when you tell him to take a break?'  
  
'Still thinks I'm evil.'  
  
'Why?'  
  
'He thinks I'm trying to get rid of him. Hey! Don't you change the subject missy. Why are you grinning?'  
  
'I am not grinning.'  
  
'Are to.'  
  
'Am not.' Rory replied walking back into the house  
  
'Are to.' Lorelai said following her.  
  
'Am not.'  
  
'Are to.'  
  
Whoa that was a long chapter, well for me it was anyway, it didn't turn out like I thought it would I hope the T/R stuff is cute and that Lorelai is in character. The chapter is a lot sweeter than I thought it would be in general, probably because I was listening to the greatest band in the world (the calling) while I was writing it and it got me in a bit of a romantic mood. Later Katie xxx 


	10. Weeks Gone By

Cheers for all of the reviews, hehe this is so cool, I never thought that I'd get a response like this especially since it's my first ever trory I totally love ye all its so great getting reviews!  
  
A/N: okay this part is going to skip ahead to midterm break in October, nothing has really happened on the Tristan Rory front besides a little harmless flirting, all the guys are totally protective or Rory, they feel like brothers to her, Lane, Louise Madeline Paris and Rory are all best friends and spend all their time together. Since they are all in the same group, T/R have to spend a lot of time together and its obvious to everyone but Rory that Tristan is crazy about her, that doesn't mean to say he's given up his player ways. oh and R/T are still playing their little game and their friends are still running the pool on when they'll get together.  
  
Rory got up at ten that morning, grateful for the sleep in she had been able to get. It was the midterm and they had a lot of work but it was still a chance to relax. She checked her new cell phone, a present from her dad. There were already five messages on it, Brad, Tristan, Madeline, Paris and Lane. Rory smiled when she saw the message from Lane. It had been her friend's birthday last week and she had bought her a cell so she could communicate with the outside world when Mama Kim had her locked up at home. The messages were:  
  
Brad: hey Gilmore, wakey wakey cum into Hartford 2day at 3 Lou n I thought u and t might like to double date *grin* only jokin, seriously tho, we should all hang out this week.  
  
Tristan: morning Mary, ur prob already studying, don't work too hard, if u need a break, cum over to my place, the parentals are away all week, I'll take ur mind off studying.  
  
Madeline: hey Ror, I heard T's parents are out of town dis week, think u can ask him to throw a party, he will if you ask him, tanx babe!  
  
Paris: Rory do u think I can borrow ur bio notes dis week, I really need to start studying for finals  
  
Lane: emergency, Mama says that if I don't have anything to do I have to go to bible study on Fri. nite but she says hanging out wit u isn't sumtin 2 do any ideas?  
  
Rory smiled her friends were totally insane, she read the comments about her and Tristan made by Brad and Madeline. She just didn't get where they got their ideas from, every other week Tristan had a new make-out partner but at the same time managed to come on to her. In the past eight weeks their game had definitely even up a bit, it turned out Tristan had taken the advice she had given him in her grandparents garden that night, he was fighting fire with fire and she was starting to get burned.  
  
There were times like in the garden when he had been sweet but those were few and far between, the first had been when her dad hadn't been able to fly in to visit like he had promised, he had heard her telling the girls that morning and at lunch when she went to her locker there had been two giant steaming cups of coffee waiting for her, he never admitted to giving them to her but she knew it was him.  
  
Another less kind stunt he had pulled was at her birthday three weeks ago, Rory would always remember that night.  
  
'Happy birthday Mary.' He grinned handing her the present he had gotten her.  
  
'Thanks Tristan, you didn't have to get me anything.'  
  
'I wanted to, well open it.' He urged.  
  
Rory smiled and began to tear at the wrapping paper carefully while leading him to her room where all the coats were being put. As she pulled away the paper she gasped. there was two parts. One of them was a thin piece of paper that she ignored for a moment; the other was a first edition of Pride and Prejudice that was even signed by Jane Austen  
  
'Omigod Tristan this is amazing, it's too much.' Rory cried sitting down on her bed examining the rare treasure she held then she remembered the piece of paper, it was folded over and when she opened it, a scream of delight came from her. It was a voucher for Starbucks worth a hundred dollars. She put her things on her bed and went over to the standing Tristan. He was smiling widely,  
  
'So you like them then?'  
  
'I love them, thank you.'  
  
'So do I get a kiss as a thank you?' he asked in all sincerity.  
  
Rory rolled her eyes but stood on her toes anyway, getting ready to kiss him on the cheek. He had other things in mind however, when she got close enough he reached out and pulled her to him, she protested but he was stronger holding her hips tightly, he leaned in as if to whisper to her but instead started sucking her earlobe, something which took Rory by surprise. Instead of pushing him away however, she moved closer. He ran his hands up and down her bare arms, sending shivers down her spine, Rory suppressed a groan and Tristan left a trail of butterfly kisses across her neck and up to the other ear. This time, instead of sucking on it, he whispered  
  
'Who's winning now? Happy birthday again Mary.' He smirked before walking out of her room. The surprising thing was, she wasn't mad and it didn't ruin her night like it would've done for LA Rory she had enjoyed it and because it was a game she and Tristan had been playing for a month, she hadn't been embarrassed in the least.  
  
At the memory, Rory rolled over and smiled, life in Connecticut was anything but boring. She smiled as she re-read Brads message. Brad, Alex and Mike had become like older brothers to her in the past two months. As was usual at a new school some guys gave her a hard time but that had been dealt with in her second week. After hearing some of the soccer team making plans to try and bed the 'Mary' they had completely blown up at the team and now there was no more talk of Rory Gilmore in the boys locker room except to say that she was hot but it was always left at that.  
  
Just last week Rory had been talking to Alex and Mike at her locker. They had been waiting on the others as they were meeting up with Lane and Henry and going to a movie and there were some guys still walking the corridors, on their way to practice or whatever. One of them, as they were walking past grabbed Rory's ass. She let out a yelp of surprise and in a second Alex and Mike had the guy pinned up against a locker. Brad had been walking down the corridor when he saw what was going on. He raced up to them and joined in.  
  
Alex and Mike were holding the guy against the locker; he was struggling to break free. Brad just stood calmly in spot watching them.  
  
'There's no point in trying to get loose.' He said simply.  
  
'Just let me go man or I swear you guys are dead first thing tomorrow.' The guy threatened. Alex and Mike slammed him up against the lockers again  
  
'Just apologise man and all will be forgiven.'  
  
The guy looked as it was the last thing he was planning on doing, instead he just sneered at Rory which in turn meant another introduction for his back to the lockers. He grunted in pain and looked at Rory.  
  
'I'm sorry, I was a jerk and now can you call off your bodyguards?'  
  
'I'll let the insincerity slide this time guys let him go.' Rory told Alex and Mike.  
  
Reluctantly they let go and the guy stalked off looking pretty pissed. Rory couldn't describe how it had felt to see the guys doing that because a guy had grabbed her ass, her lifelong 'friends' in LA had let Dean and Teri make a fool out of her without so much as batting an eyelid. That was when she knew she wouldn't regret coming here, that she had found real friends at last.  
  
Rory got up and got dressed, deciding to take a walk around Stars Hollow, maybe go to Luke's and get some coffee. Normal things to do in your home town. She smiled, this was the first time she had thought of Stars Hollow as home. Home. She liked the sound of that  
  
A/N: I know I'm sorry I'm a terrible writer, this sucks but it's really just a filler because I'm wanting to speed up the story to the important stuff and I just thought it was a good chance to show where Rory is with regards to her friends and moving and all of that. I have a half day tomorrow so hopefully I'll have a new better chapter up then. Thanks again to all that reviewed the last chapter, if I were to thank everyone properly and individually I'd have a book so ye know who ye are! 


	11. A Request, A Shock, A Fight

Hey all and welcome to my twisted version of GG, I have to say that everyday I enjoy writing this story more and more, I never realised feedback could be such a great motivator! This time round I have to give out some personal thanks so please just bear with me:  
  
Smile1: I love you; you are incredibly sweet and thank you for your words of encouragement they really mean a lot (  
  
GGfreak: I laughed when I read your review, I didn't realise someone would want to see what happens so badly! Love ya hun!  
  
Tikidoll: ha, thank you and I agree, I rock! Haha only joking, I'm just a crazy person that happens to love writing and GG!  
  
Miss*Shay: thank you for the kind words, I was very anxious about the reviews for the last chapter and you were my first reviewer and you definitely made me feel better!  
  
Chelle5: just because his intentions are good doesn't mean she'll give up without a fight, hehe just you wait and see what I have planned for our favourite couple mwahahaha..  
  
McKenzie: you were with me at the start and I love getting reviews from you but I'm extremely dumb and don't get what you mean about the coffee comment a few chapters ago it has me wondering and I get the whole I can't breathe thing every time I see Milo! Hehe!  
  
Ilove2bcrazy: I'm glad you like it and you think its funny, that's just my sick mind working not actually attempts at humour!  
  
There are so many others so I'll just say an unbelievably huge thank you to everyone and especially to everyone who has put me in favourites and alert lists!  
  
Now after all that we get to the story.  
  
The week had flown by for Rory, she had invited the girls round for a girls' night in on Tuesday and they had loads of fun just doing normal girly stuff, talking about everything from parents to boyfriends to old crushes, they had even let Lorelai join in since everyone agreed she was more of an older sister type than a mother type.  
  
The girls had told Rory about the crushes they had had on Tristan which had Rory crying from laughing so hard, she told them the whole story about Dean and the night she found out he was cheating on her, the girls didn't understand why Dean would do it and as for Teri, they all swore they would claw her eyes out if they ever met her.  
  
Friday was Halloween and they girls were still pushing Rory to ask Tristan to throw a party, they said that he never threw parties when his parents were away after they came home early one year and found him and his then girlfriend in one room and a raging party in the other. Apparently he had been grounded for two months, not that he stuck to it, and his girlfriend was banned from seeing him by her parents.  
  
Rory was debating whether or not to do it when she got a message from Lane  
  
Lane: u need to get me out of Stars Hollow for Halloween Mama says it needs to be a really good excuse to get out of Bible Study. HELP!!!!!!!!!  
  
Rory grinned knowing the choice had been made for her. It was Thursday morning and if they were to get anything planned at all, she would have to ask him now. She got dressed, grabbed her Sean Mullen CD and her car keys deciding to ask Tristan in person. As she drove out of Stars Hollow she turned up the radio, deciding to ignore the little voice in her head saying she was going very out of her way to ask Tristan something she could ask on the phone.  
  
*  
  
Rory reached Hartford in about twenty-five minutes, driving past her grandparent's street and into the next. She drove to the end of the cul de sac and parked just outside the DuGrey house. She got out and walked up the long drive that was simply stunning. Leaves littered the walk up to the house and Rory found herself staring in awe at the massive building, she had thought Paris' house was big.  
  
She stood on the doorstep and rang the bell. A few minutes later a very shirtless Tristan opened the door. He didn't look overly happy with the interruption but his face broke into a killer smirk when he saw her.  
  
'Mary, what are you doing here?'  
  
Rory had been taken aback by his state of undress and for a minute it was all she could do to not stare. She knew the look on her face was only helping to enlarge his smirk but she couldn't help it, when she had called him a god on her first day she hadn't been wrong.  
  
'I uh, I came to ask a favour.'  
  
'Now that's what I'm talking about, if you'll accompany me upstairs-'  
  
'Not that kind of favour Tristan.'  
  
Tristan pouted, pretending to be upset when in actual fact he was relieved, the last thing he needed right now was Rory going anywhere near the second floor of his house.  
  
'Come on in.' he said opening the door another little bit, just enough so that she could get through easily but would still have to come into contact with him. Rory brushed past, ignoring the sensation of his bare skin against her stomach, she was wearing a modest but stomach bearing top under her open denim jacket.  
  
'What's up?' Tristan asked.  
  
'I know you parents are away and I was just wondering if you would consider throwing a little party here for Halloween.'  
  
'And why would I want to do that?' he asked with a mischievous grin.  
  
'Because it's Halloween and I'm asking you for a favour. Lane needs to get out or else face the worst nightmare of all and go to Bible Study. It wouldn't have to be big, just the gang and Henry and Lane and whatever flavour of the week you have going this time.'  
  
'And what would I get out of all of this?'  
  
'Well,' Rory replied raising her eyebrows and moving closer to him.  
  
Tristan knew she was playing him but the truth was he didn't care, he knew it was wrong and that he shouldn't be letting her do what she was doing to him which was at this very moment making his pants uncomfortable and his heart beat faster than it had been before he answered the door and that was what worried him, what he had been doing before she called should've had him more excited than this.  
  
Rory grinned. She knew what she was doing to him, as soon as she placed her hands on his bare stomach it tightened and his breath came quicker. Her hands moved provocatively down towards the low waistband of the blue jeans he wore. Tristan was lost to everything else going on as Rory pressed her body against his. All of the blood in his body was now concentrating on one particular area and he knew Rory could tell because of the look on her face. She was massaging his waist with her delicate hands when she froze.  
  
'Okay, party here tomorrow night, a small one.'  
  
Rory wasn't looking at Tristan or even listening to him instead her eyes were resting on the blonde standing behind him; she was wearing an oversized shirt that she recognised as Tristan's. Then it made sense, why Tristan had looked mad when he opened the door and why he was half naked. Quickly she took a step back from him only to hear him protest.  
  
'Tristan what's going on?' the girl asked. Rory looked to Tristan who at this moment in time was wishing he'd never answered the phone to Claire that morning and told her to come over. Putting on his best charming smile he turned to face the girl.  
  
'Nothing Claire, Rory and I were just playing around right Ror?' 'Whatever.' She said before storming out of the house.  
  
She had never been so embarrassed in her life. There she was coming on to Tristan when he had a naked girl stashed away upstairs. She raced to the car; in the distance she could hear a car door slam and an engine start. She herself got into her car but didn't start the engine, instead she turned on the radio as loud as it would go and screamed in frustration. For a second back there she had actually considered forfeiting the game and giving in to Tristan. Then she had just managed to convince herself it was temporary insanity caused by how hot he looked when there was a tapping on her window.  
  
She rolled it down and looked at the handsome face with the coldest stare she could muster, which as it turned out, was pretty cold. Tristan fidgeted for a minute before Rory snapped  
  
'What? What the hell do you want?'  
  
'How about an explanation?' Tristan snapped right back.  
  
'What do I have to explain, you were the one with the half naked girl in your bed while you were letting me do that!'  
  
'Is this about Claire? God Rory! Since when do you care?'  
  
'I don't! But god! Do you have even a shred of decency?'  
  
'I think you do care. This isn't exactly the behaviour of someone who is indifferent.'  
  
'What the hell is that supposed to mean?' she asked getting out of the car, feeling that face to face would be better.  
  
'You know damn well what it means! Look I'm sorry about Claire but she'll be over it in about an hour, she knew what the story was, she knew I was only looking for a bit of fun and we didn't even do anything!'  
  
'Sure as hell didn't look like it from where I was standing!'  
  
'We were making out, that's as far as it went because then you called and to tell you the truth I'm glad you did.'  
  
'Why was that?' she asked.  
  
'Because you got me more excited by the sight of you than she did when she was half naked in my bed!' Tristan admitted his voice low.  
  
'Pull another one Tristan.'  
  
'What you'd rather hear lies than the truth, I'm not Dean Rory, I'm not going to treat you like dirt, I'll tell anyone who listens that I'm crazy about you and the reason you're freaking out is because you like me too.'  
  
'I didn't think it was possible to get an even bigger ego than you had that's one tick in the wrong column for me. It was a game Tristan. Nothing more.'  
  
'Now it's my turn to tell you to pull another one. You know as well as I do that it started as a game but the truth is you're tired of playing games but you're afraid.'  
  
'Afraid of what?'  
  
'Me.'  
  
'You're crazy.'  
  
'It's true, can you honestly tell me that you truly loved Dean and that you were attracted to him. I'm not doubting that you loved him Rory but you sure as hell weren't attracted to him. If you were attracted to him he wouldn't have had reason to look elsewhere now would he? What you and I have? That's an attraction.'  
  
Rory was shocked by his words, it's not because they're true she told herself, as an automatic reaction her hand rose and slapped him across the face. Hard. She got back into the car and slammed the door. She started the engine and before he even had a chance to react she was roaring down the street.  
  
A/N: whoa, long chapter, hope you enjoyed and I hope I didn't turn Tristan into too much of the bad guy but it's important for what's coming next.later Katie xxx 


	12. An Interesting Night

Thanks for all of the reviews, they make me unbelievably happy!!!! God I'm going crazy here because my internet connection is totally and completely f**ked up its not even funny!  
  
A/N: I really have no expectations for this chapter since I have stopped planning them thoroughly, I have a rough idea and then I sit and type so god only knows how this will turn out!  
  
Rory made it back to Stars Hollow in record time, she was pretty sure she had broken all of the speed limits but she didn't care. She didn't go home; instead she went to Lane's house. She went into the antique shop owned by Mrs. Kim and quickly found Lane sitting, bored at a table.  
  
'Hey, did you get my message?' she asked on seeing her best friend.  
  
'Oh yeah I got it.' Rory growled at her friend.  
  
'What's up with you?'  
  
'Tristan I'm-so-hot-without-my-shirt-I-think-I'll-let-Rory-come-on-to-me- while-my-girlfriend-is-upstairs-in-my-bed-half-naked-DuGrey. What do you think?'  
  
'I should've known I mean what you just said happens all the time.' Lane said sarcastically.  
  
'Can we go somewhere and talk?'  
  
'Sure. Luke's?'  
  
'Works for me, I am in serious need of coffee.'  
  
The girls left the shop and made their way to diner where without even asking, Luke handed Rory a huge cup of coffee and Lane a cheese burger. They sat at a window table and Lane tucked into the burger. After she swallowed a bite she looked at Rory expectantly.  
  
'Well are you going to tell me or do I have to imagine things?'  
  
'Sorry it's just, ugh, he drives me crazy! I want to strangle him.'  
  
'More like kiss him until he forgets his own name.'  
  
'I may have entertained thoughts of a Tristan and I thing but I can now guarantee you it won't happen. When I left him he was nursing a slapped face.' Rory smiled triumphantly.  
  
Lane dropped her burger and looked at Rory a range of looks from shock to pleasure to disbelief on her face.  
  
'Tell me you didn't slap Tristan.'  
  
'It was fully deserved you weren't there the whole sorry situation just makes me so mad.'  
  
Rory proceeded to tell Lane all about her little encounter with Tristan that morning and when she finished Lane was in a state of complete and total shock.  
  
'Omigod! I can't believe him just because what he said may have been right he didn't have to be a jerk about it.'  
  
'Wait, you think he was right?'  
  
'Well you said it yourself Rory, you were with Dean for a year and you didn't get past second base and anyone can see you're crazy about Tristan.'  
  
'That's not true, well, not the Tristan part anyway, he may be hot but as a human being? He's not exactly high on my list.'  
  
Lane didn't know what to say to that so the girls sat in silence for a few minutes until a constant very annoying beeping broke the thoughtful silence. Rory just looked at Lane.  
  
'Do you plan on answering your phone?'  
  
Lane laughed and blushed, she still hadn't gotten used to having a cell phone. She looked at the screen and was confused. It said private number calling which was weird because nobody who would call her would hide their number.  
  
'Hello?'  
  
'Lane, put Rory on the phone.'  
  
'She's not here.' She lied.  
  
'Dammit Lane I know she's with you, I'm betting she's been with you since she got back from Hartford now put her on the phone.'  
  
'She doesn't want to talk to you and I don't blame her. You are such a jerk Tristan.'  
  
'Will you just put her on?'  
  
'No.' Lane hung up the phone. She was putting it back in her pocket when it started ringing again. Rory rolled her eyes as Lane hung up on Tristan without even bothering to answer the phone. Two minutes later it started ringing again. Lane again answered it.  
  
'Tristan get it through your thick skull, she doesn't want to talk to you now go away.'  
  
'Not until you put me on to her.'  
  
'It's not going to happen.'  
  
Again lane hung up the phone. When it rang again Rory just lost patience and grabbed it.  
  
'What Tristan? What the hell do you want?'  
  
'To apologise. I had no right to say those things.'  
  
'I'll agree with you there, you didn't.'  
  
'I was still right though.'  
  
'God for a second I thought you were being a human being. How wrong was I?'  
  
'Look Rory, whether you want to admit it or not, what I said back there was the truth even if I had no right to say it.'  
  
'You really have some nerve do you know that?'  
  
'Since when is knowing what you want having nerve? As far as I can see you have no clue what you want or maybe you do and you just won't say it.'  
  
'I know what I want and it certainly isn't you.'  
  
'Whatever you need to tell yourself Mary.'  
  
'Go to hell Tristan.'  
  
Rory hung up the phone and handed it back to Lane.  
  
'Don't worry, he won't call back. Come to my house? I need to pick out an outfit for tomorrow night?'  
  
'You're going to the party?'  
  
'Correction we are going. Tell your mom you have a study date.'  
  
'What do you have planned?' 'Just you wait and see.'  
  
*  
It was Friday night and Rory and Lane were in Rory's room getting ready for the party. Lane had gone with a black trousers and a pink halter neck. Rory had gone for the rock chick look. She looked at herself in the mirror, she was wearing black boots, an illegally short denim skirt complete with hanging silver chains and a black sleeveless shirt that stated 'I'm a BITCH'  
  
When they were done putting the finishing touches to their hair, they grabbed their overnight bags, they were staying with Paris, bade farewell to Lorelai and headed for the car. They reached Hartford in about forty minutes; Rory had taken her time driving on account of the whole three inch stiletto heel thing. Rory parked the car and they got out. On the steps on the way in, they met their friends.  
  
'Rory, you look amazing, Tristan will follow you around drooling for the whole night when he sees you.' Louise laughed.  
  
'That's the whole point.' Paris laughed.  
  
Even though the girls maintained that deep deep deep down Tristan was a good guy, they all agreed that he needed to pay for how he had behaved towards Rory the day before.  
  
'Lets just say it should be and interesting night.' Rory said before walking into the house.  
  
A/N: I realise this sucks but I have a good excuse, I had a much better much longer one typed and I was just doing a word count when I accidentally deleted it all and had to start from scratch so my apologies to those who are let done by this chapter, I swear I will have a great next chapter to make up for it, or I plan to try and make a great next chapter anyway xxx Katie 


	13. A Near Miss

Hey all, again my apologies for the last chapter, I personally think the first version was better but sometimes its fate.thanks for all of the reviews and I'm going to try and make this really worth while because I might not be able to update for the next couple of days, my book deadline is in two days and I have a lot of typing to do.  
  
Rory looked around the party, HER 'Forty Foot Echo' CD was playing in the background and there were drunken teens all over the house either making out or attempting to dance. Inside they met Brad, Henry, Alex and Mike; Rory couldn't decide whether she was relieved or disappointed that Tristan wasn't with them. He took the drink Brad handed her, the rest of the guys nodded in approval. Roy was under strict instructions not to except drinks from anyone else for fear of what might be in them.  
  
Alex looked at Rory in amazement, he was used to looking at her in a strictly sister capacity but the way she looked tonight made him want to change his ways.  
  
'Rory, what are you? I mean what do you think you're wearing?' he asked.  
  
'Thanks Alex.' Rory blushed.  
  
'I wasn't being nice, I mean yes you look hot but you're not meant to look hot.'  
  
'Oh,' she smiled 'don't worry, this is all for Tristan's benefit.'  
  
The guys visibly relaxed at this, something Rory found very funny; with what she had planned they should've been worried about Tristan. Everyone took their leave of each other, Henry led Lane to the dance floor, if it could be called that, Brad and Louise followed and the others went to talk to different people. Normally of course someone would've waited with Rory but each sex had a different plan. The girls knew Tristan would approach Rory if she was on his own and the guys were under instructions from Tristan to make sure Rory was alone so he could talk to her.  
  
Tristan was making his way down the stairs when he spotted Rory sitting alone, he sent a silent thanks to the guys wherever they were and he made their way to her. Rory was listening to the CD; she had lent it to Tristan a few weeks ago and had yet to get it back. This was one of her favourite songs, 'Brand New Day'. She sat listening and found herself humming along with it as she watched all the couples dancing in each others arms.  
  
'Playing the wallflower Mary?'  
  
'No, just waiting for the right some one to dance with.' She smiled grabbing his hand and leading him to where the rest of the dancing couples were. Tristan didn't quite know what was going on, Rory looked amazing, she had never made this much effort before for a party and yesterday they had a massive fight and now here she was laying her head on his shoulder and slow dancing.  
  
** And I, I think I'll change my ways So all your words get noticed Tomorrow's a brand new day Tomorrow's a new day **  
  
Tristan knew Rory was up to something but right now he didn't care. Right now, Rory was in his arms dancing and holding tightly, right now he didn't let the warning bells go off, he just enjoyed the sensation holding Rory.  
  
Rory was having a little trouble concentrating, she knew what she was supposed to be doing but the truth was she hadn't expected it to be this nice. Dancing with Tristan was as far away from bad as you could get. He had his arms wrapped around her waist and his head rested comfortably on hers.  
  
'So Mary,' he began.  
  
'Sssh, not now.' She answered before laying her head back down on his shoulder.  
  
Tristan didn't need telling twice, she was still more than pissed at him and he knew it but even though he knew they should be talking, he was enjoying dancing with her way too much. When the song ended he pulled away and looked at her, she was gorgeous before she said anything he grabbed her hand and dragged her upstairs.  
  
'Tristan, what the hell are you doing?'  
  
'We're going to talk.'  
  
'I don't want to talk!'  
  
'Well tough, people don't always get what they want.'  
  
'Take that advice yourself sometime.'  
  
He led Rory to his bedroom where they could be alone to talk, there was nobody in this part of the house and the music sounded far away. Rory sat down on his bed and waited, not looking at Tristan and not speaking. If he wanted to talk he would have to make the effort. Tristan noticed that she wouldn't look at him and that she wasn't even protesting too much.  
  
'God! You are not going to make this easy for me are you?'  
  
'Why should I, you practically kidnap me and drag me to your room where I see you locked the door, you were the one that was an ass yesterday so why should I even think about making it easy for you?' she yelled at him. 'I don't deserve for you to take it easy on me I know but what can I say, I'm an optimistic. I am sorry about yesterday and judging by my half assed attempt to apologise yesterday you should know I'm not in the habit of apologising.'  
  
'Understatement of the century. You've probably never said the word in your life and meant it.'  
  
'Well I'm saying it now and I do mean it, I refuse to apologise for my opinions but I am sorry for the way I made them known.'  
  
'If I say you are forgiven will you let me out of here?'  
  
'No because you are still mad at me. Look Rory I am sorry but I'm getting frustrated here. I like you, I more than like you and you refuse to believe me, ask anyone in the whole school and they will tell you.'  
  
'When will you get that it's not about you, I will admit that yes I am attracted to you but - god do you have any idea of how much you remind me of Dean? I know you're not him but still, you were right, I wasn't attracted to Dean and he managed to break my heart.'  
  
Rory paused and Tristan took the chance to move closer to the bed, taking it slowly, the last thing he wanted was for her to put her defences back up.  
  
'Imagine what you could do if I let you in.' Rory looked at her hands in embarrassment.  
  
Tristan sat on the bed beside her, at a safe distance.  
  
'I wouldn't hurt you Rory.'  
  
'I really want to believe that, I do but the truth is, I don't, I've seen you with a different girl every week, yesterday morning? I would never go that fast and you'd get bored, Dean did.'  
  
'He really fucked you up didn't he?'  
  
'You could say that.'  
  
'Rory if you and I were together I'd wait until you were ready, no complaints and I swear if I ever meet Dean I will kill him so will the guys. You deserved better than him Rory.'  
  
As Tristan had said that he had been moving closer to Rory who had turned to look at him. She wanted so much to believe him, he looked into her eyes so intensely that Rory looked away blushing.  
  
'Oh Mary, you have no idea how much I enjoy making you do that.'  
  
Rory tried to stop herself, even now when they were having a serious conversation he managed to make some little comment that made Rory blush even harder. She was even starting to like the Mary references. When Dean had said it he had said it with spite whereas Tristan sounded like he wouldn't have it any other way. Their faces had moved towards each other unconsciously, they never took their eyes away from each others; Rory instinctively licked her lips, wetting them. Just as Tristan was moving to kiss her, the silence in the room was shattered by the harsh ringing of a cell phone.  
  
Rory looked at the screen of her phone, she was tempted to ignore it but the moment was gone and it was her mother calling. Her mom would never call while she was at a party unless it was important. She looked at Tristan apologetically and answered the phone.  
  
'Hello?'  
  
'What's wrong?'  
  
'NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' Rory screamed into the phone, as tears began falling down her face, Tristan looked on helplessly, wondering what was wrong and why Rory was crying.  
  
Mwahahaha am I evil? Am I great? Is this good? Did Rory give in too easily? Why was Rory crying? Let me know what you think! Later Katie xxx 


	14. Going Home

HEY!!!!!!!! Haha, thanks for all of the reviews and I looked back over the chapter in light of the reviews and I see that a lot of things weren't explained or up to scratch so I have some explaining to do!  
  
The whole Rory's plan for Tristan was doomed to fail from the beginning, that was my plan, you see Tristan had a plan too and the reason Rory was being nice to Tristan and dancing with him when she was meant to be mad with him was to lure him into a sense of .security, if you will. That was the reasoning behind the outfit too, Rory never dresses like that and she was meant to look really hot to catch Tristan's attention, she was still thinking along the lines of their game, anything to gain the upper hand. Does that make more or less sense?  
  
Smile1- thank you for saying that about the ending because I agree with you but I needed it to be extreme because there can be no chance of Tristan being able to comfort her which he would've been able to do had she been calm.maybe that doesn't make sense but I had my reasons for doing it!  
  
Also I realise that my chapters are pretty short but I feel that that very thing allows me to update more often because I say what I have to say in each chapter without dragging it out so then I get to move on and begin the next with a definite plan.  
  
On with the story:  
  
Rory sat on her bed, looking at the packed bag on the ground in the middle of the room, it was Saturday morning and she was getting ready to catch her plane. After her mother called the night before, Tristan had driven her home and gone back to the party to tell their friends what was happening once he had made sure she was okay. The truth was she wasn't okay. Her mom had popped her head in a few minutes ago to tell her the plane was leaving in two hours. Her mom wasn't going with her; instead she had gotten a call from Paris that morning to say that her friends were going with her and that she would pick her up.  
  
She heard a car pull up outside followed by the beeping of a horn. Slowly Rory picked up her bag and left her room, taking a last look around it. When she stepped out into the cold November air she saw Paris leaning against her car with a hot cup of coffee from Luke's in her hand, wordlessly she handed it to Rory before taking her bag and put it beside her own in the trunk. Rory got into the car and waited for Paris to start the engine. When she did, Rory finally asked her,  
  
'So how many are actually coming?'  
  
'Everyone even Lane managed to get permission but her mom insisted on bringing her to the airport herself. Why isn't your mom going?'  
  
'She burned that bridge a long time ago; she can't go back there, not yet. Can you stop by the inn, I want to say goodbye.'  
  
'Of course.'  
  
*  
  
Rory and Lorelai's goodbye had been a tearful one. Lorelai felt horrible for not going with her daughter but she wasn't able to go back there, she would be some day but not now. In a way she felt like it might be good for Rory to go without her, she had been Rory's shield before but now Rory would have to face everything alone and she might just come back all the stronger for it.  
  
Rory and Paris reached the airport and quickly found all of their friends waiting for them. They had all been sitting in the waiting area but they stood up on seeing Rory and Paris walk towards them. Louise, Madeline and lane all moved towards Rory wordlessly and hugged her. The boys stood back a little, not sure of what they were supposed to be doing.  
  
'Hey Ror,' Tristan said as she walked towards the boys.  
  
Rory nodded at him in greeting before being hugged individually by each of the guys. Tristan was last and whereas the other boys' hugs had been brief and initiated by them, Rory practically flung herself into his arms and buried her head against his chest. Tristan just enveloped her in his arms and held her tightly, stroking her hair. The others looked on for a minute before turning and walking a bit away hoping that Rory might talk to Tristan.  
  
'Are you okay? Never mind, stupid question.'  
  
Rory pulled away slightly and looked up at him with a watery smile on her face.  
  
'It's not a stupid question but I'll look stupid if I attempt to answer it.'  
  
'Then don't. Did your mom tell you how?'  
  
'Yeah, another OD only this time they didn't get to her on time, no stomach pump for Amy this time. I don't want to go.'  
  
'Then don't.'  
  
'I have to; she was one of two people in my group of friends that was actually a friend. It's not that I don't want to go to the funeral I just don't want to go back there.'  
  
'I know you don't but you're not alone this time. This time you have real friends that are there for you. Remember that. You're not alone this time.' Rory looked at Tristan, really looked and for the first time, she saw the good guy that her friends had told her about but whom she refused to believe existed. She stood on her toes, leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before letting him go.  
  
'Thank you.'  
  
'I wasn't just saying it.'  
  
'I know that's why I'm saying thank you.'  
  
Tristan smiled and put his hand on the small of her back. He picked up the bag she had dropped when the girls had approached her, and slung it over his shoulder.  
  
'C'mon, let's check in.'  
  
*  
  
They had checked in and boarded the plane and were no waiting for take off. Rory was dreading going back to LA despite what Tristan had said. She wasn't sure that she could face all of her old friends at the funeral, face the comments they would throw her way, and face the disbelieving stares when people saw her turn up at the funeral. She began to feel sick and she gripped the arm rest tightly. Tristan was sitting beside her and he saw her hands turning white from her grip on the arm rest. He placed his hand on top of hers and Rory lessened her grip. When she did this, Tristan took her hand in his and gripped tightly, trying to provide whatever comfort he could.  
  
Rory looked at him and smiled nervously.  
  
'I hate flying.' She said  
  
'No you don't.'  
  
'Okay no I really don't but lets just pretend I do.'  
  
'Okay, I can do that.' Tristan grinned to reassure her. He reached his other hand across and touched her face. Her normally shiny eyes were dull and the bags under her eyes had bags. It was obvious that she hadn't slept a wink.  
  
'Why don't you get some sleep?' he suggested.  
  
'I don't think I can sleep right now.'  
  
'You look like you could sleep for a month.' Tristan argued.  
  
'I didn't exactly sleep last night.'  
  
'I can imagine. Try at least. You'll need it.'  
  
'I know but it's the thought of going back there that will keep me awake.'  
  
'You have nothing to be scared about.' He told her soothingly.  
  
'But I am I don't think I'm ready to go back there.'  
  
'You are. You have the girls if your old friends get bitchy; you have the guys if Dean says anything. And you have me.'  
  
Rory still looked apprehensive but at the same time she nodded and even blushed at the 'You have me' comment. She rested her head on Tristan's shoulder and within minutes she was asleep. Tristan looked down at the angel, sleeping, resting her head on his shoulder. She looked so peaceful but so tired and weary, Tristan had a feeling she still wasn't sharing everything about her life in LA with them. He had a feeling that Dean wasn't the only one she was afraid of seeing. He wasn't completely right but he was close. In her dreams Rory saw the one thing that had her truly scared about going back to LA and even though she was asleep she gripped Tristan's hand tighter.  
  
A few hours later, Rory woke. The plane was beginning its decent and the knot in Rory's stomach only tightened. She looked up at Tristan who still held her hand in his. His eyes were closed but she knew he was awake. He was wearing headphones and Rory could hear the distinct sound of Linkin Park coming from them. She could hear the words.  
  
* Sometimes I remember the darkness of my past Bringing back these memories I wish I didn't have Sometimes I think of letting of and never looking back And never moving forward so there'd never be a past. *  
  
The plane landed and they began to get off. Tristan never let go of Rory's hand for which she was thankful. When they were leaving the airport there was a man holding a sign that said Rory Gilmore. Her father had sent a limo for them. They got in and the driver took them along roads that were very familiar to Rory. In a way it felt like she had never left.  
  
* All her friends tell her she's so pretty But she'd be a whole lot prettier if she'd smile once in a while. 'Cause even her smile looks like a frown. She's seen her share of devils in this angel town. *  
  
A/N: there you go folks; I hope this wasn't too much of a disappointment. What's Rory's big secret? What will happen when her old and new friends come face to face? Stay tuned to find out. Special note to certain people (they know who they are) the meeting you've all been waiting for is coming up. 


	15. My Place

HEY!!! A few words: Pearls24: I love you, you are incredibly sweet and I really enjoyed reading your reviews! Misty: that was an incredibly sweet review, thank you so much.  
  
Songs: when R/T were dancing the song was 'Brand New Day' by Forty Foot Echo  
The Linkin Park song Tristan was listening to was 'Easier to Run' from the Masterpiece that is 'Meteora'  
The song at the end of the last chapter is in my top five list of all time, it is the amazing 'Lullaby' by Sean Mullen and that song is the inspiration behind this story!  
  
They pulled up outside Rory's old house and got out of the limo. The front door opened and the maid came out to greet them. She was a middle- aged kindly woman that had always loved Rory and Rory had in turn loved her.  
  
'Miss Rory!' she cried on her way over before embracing the girl.  
  
Rory readily returned the hug, she had missed her.  
  
'Hey Bessie. Let me introduce you to some people. This is Paris, Lane, Louise, Madeline, Brad, Alex, Mike, Henry and lastly our not so humble King Tristan.'  
  
The teens smiled at her, it was a smile she returned. She was glad to meet Rory's new friends. She'd heard a lot about them from Christopher and in her eyes at least, it was about time Rory had gotten herself some good friends. The last batch hadn't been the best by any stretch of the imagination, Dean and Teri, poor Amy and worse that-  
  
She was pulled from her thoughts by Rory who asked after her father.  
  
'He's in his study. He decided to work from home today, he wanted to see you, see how you were doing. He's missed you honey, and your mom.'  
  
'We're very missable.' Rory smiled.  
  
'You won't find me arguing with that statement. Well come on inside, you kids must be starved, come in, I'll fix you something to eat and then I'll show you to your rooms.'  
  
The teens followed Bessie into the house. It didn't go unnoticed by a single person that Rory took Tristan's hand in hers and led him into the house. They had asked Tristan on the plane and he had insisted that they weren't going out but as far as everyone was concerned it was only a matter of time now.  
  
They went into the kitchen where Bessie's meaning of fixing them something was telling the cook to whip something up for them. Rory finally let go of Tristan and excused herself, wanting to speak to her dad. As Bessie had said, she found him in his study. He didn't appear to be working, just sitting at his desk, staring off into space. When she entered the room, a huge smile, tinged with sadness, broke out on his face and he stood up and hugged his daughter.  
  
They hadn't seen each other since August and they had missed each other so much. Chris was even thinking about moving back east to be closer to both Rory and Lorelai. Rory had started crying into his chest when he hugged her. It was a combination of grief for Amy and of joy at seeing him again. She had missed him so much. She hadn't realised just how much until she had seen him.  
  
Chris held onto his daughter wishing he never had to let her go; the one thing in his life he regretted was letting Rory go with Lorelai. There had been no custody battle or animosity or anything like that. When he and Lorelai had split up she had wanted to go home and they both knew that after what had happened to Rory it would be best if she went with her and to be honest, Chris had known Rory would chose her mother over him if it came down to it. He knew she loved him but he also knew that Lorelai and Rory were best friends.  
  
*  
  
The others, while Rory was having her emotional reunion with her father, had made themselves comfortable, sitting around the kitchen, leaning against counters, listening to Bessie as she talked about how much they had missed both Lorelai and Rory around the house.  
  
'I've worked for them since they were eighteen and first moved here and I can honestly say I don't have a bad word to say about any member of the family. It was a shame about Christopher and Lorelai but it probably worked out for the best. Rory had to get out of here, after what happened and then the Dean thing on top of that, well she just couldn't stay. She had to get out.'  
  
'After what happened?' Alex asked.  
  
'Yeah, I thought the whole Dean thing was THE thing.' Maddy said.  
  
Bessie looked away and pretended to really concentrate on the counter she was cleaning. Tristan noticed this but said nothing. So he had been right, there was something Rory wasn't telling them.  
  
'What? It was I just meant on top of poor Amy and Lorelai and Chris had been fighting a bit, it was hard on her.'  
  
The others seemed to accept this answer and Tristan just nodded along with them, deciding to keep his questions to himself, Rory would tell them when she was good and ready. Still, he couldn't help but be curious. The others asked Bessie about Amy but Tristan wasn't paying attention, until someone said his name.  
  
'Hello? Earth to Tristan?'  
  
'What? Sorry I was a million miles away.'  
  
'We noticed.' Paris said dryly.  
  
'Well I'm back now so what were you saying?'  
  
'Bessie just asked how long you and Rory have been going out.' Alex grinned.  
  
Tristan actually blushed slightly. Was it that unbelievably obvious to everyone that he was crazy about her? He cleared his throat and looked at Bessie.  
  
'We're not going out.'  
  
'She likes you. It's as plain as day.' Bessie smiled.  
  
'Wish she could see it.' Tristan grinned.  
  
'She will, given time. Rory has been through a lot and I won't lie, there probably is a lot she hasn't told you guys, not because she doesn't want to but she just isn't ready to talk about it in great detail yet, she doesn't trust herself.'  
  
Tristan looked rueful.  
  
'Once bitten, twice shy.'  
  
'Exactly.' Bessie smiled 'She'll realise it soon enough.'  
  
Tristan didn't reply but silently added 'I hope so.' A few minutes later the teens were eating a feast of bacon and eggs, it was after all, still morning in LA. Rory and a man that was obviously her father entered the kitchen.  
  
'Dad, this is everyone, we have the girls Louise Maddy Paris and Lane and the guys Alex, Mike, Brad Henry and Tristan.'  
  
Christopher did the rounds, shaking hands with them all and introducing himself. Rory had, in the meantime started making coffee. She looked at her friends and at her dad. Bessie whispered something to Chris and immediately he swooped down on Tristan. Rory went to rescue him.  
  
'Dad, leave him alone, I don't know what Bessie told you but we're not going out.' She said.  
  
Christopher looked mildly embarrassed, shortly after, he left the kitchen, saying he had to get back to work. Rory drank her coffee silently. She caught Tristan looking at her more than once and eventually she beckoned for him to follow her.  
  
They stepped out into the backyard which was like a hidden paradise, there were pools and fountains ands mini waterfalls, Rory kept walking down past all of these things until she reached a well hidden pathway that led down onto a wooden deck overlooking a lake. It had been her favourite place in LA; she had never brought anyone here, not even Dean. This was her spot, where she went to think and where she went to not think, to avoid thinking.  
  
'Wow.' Tristan said in wonder, coming up behind her.  
  
'Yeah,' Rory agreed 'This is my haven, my place, no one else comes here.'  
  
'I can see why you'd want it all to yourself, it's amazing.'  
  
'Last pure thing I have, this place. I never showed anyone because then it wouldn't be mine. Does that make any sense? It's like as long as it was mine and only mine, I had something that nobody else could touch. It's stupid.'  
  
'It's not, I have one of those places, I think everyone has, it might not be a place but just something that no one else can touch.'  
  
'Exactly.' Rory said looking at him and then back out to the water. Tristan moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. At first Rory tensed up but then she relaxed and allowed herself to be taken into his embrace.  
  
'I used to sleep out here, mom and dad still don't know about it, they never come here, they know it's mine but they never knew that I used to sleep here. I would go to my room and sneak out the window with a blanket a book and a torch.'  
  
Tristan grinned at the visual or Rory trying to climb out of her window complete with blanket, book and torch and in his mind he could see her wrapped up, crouched over a book in her hands and a torch no doubt being held in her teeth.  
  
They stayed that way for a while, standing in silence. Occasionally Rory would sigh but Tristan made no move to talk or move. He was perfectly happy to stay that way forever, well the foreseeable future anyway. Eventually Rory voiced the reason she had been sighing.  
  
'Do you think I should call someone, let them know I'm here or will I just show up?'  
  
'What option will cause less pain for you?'  
  
'I don't know, if I turn up at the funeral unannounced they will have to be civil, even they have enough respect not to cause a scene at the funeral but if I call them then I don't know what they'll do or say.'  
  
'Then just show up. We will all slip in at the back for moral support or whatever so you won't be completely alone when facing them.'  
  
'You are a pretty great guy you know that?'  
  
'I've been trying to tell you that for weeks.' He smirked.  
  
Rory turned around and swatted his arm before he laughed.  
  
'I feel I must commend you on your modesty Mr. DuGrey.'  
  
'Why thank you Miss Gilmore.'  
  
'We should probably head back in, the others will be wondering.'  
  
'So let them wonder.' Tristan said, not wanting to have to let go her.  
  
'We can't stay out here all day. We'll freeze!'  
  
'I'll keep you warm Mary.'  
  
'I'll bet. But as tempting as that offer is, we have to go in.'  
  
'Okay, lead the way.'  
  
Rory pulled out of Tristan's embrace and walked towards the pathway. Before she was out of reach, Tristan grabbed her hand. She turned to face him.  
  
'Thank you, for bringing me here,' he said 'for showing me this place.'  
  
'You're welcome.' Rory replied before turning away.  
  
She continued walking up the pathway, Tristan's hand in hers. At that moment she felt like she could face her old friends without any fear, as long as Tristan was by her side.  
  
A/N: not a lot happened in this chapter I realise but I think that it was important for the T/R element of the story. I hope you enjoyed!!! 


	16. Long Time No See

Rory spent most of the day alone after she and Tristan got back to the house. She would never be able to describe how much he had helped her, how much all of her friends had helped her. The funeral was tomorrow and she was dreading it, for more reasons than were obvious.  
  
Yes, she was dreading going to the funeral of a girl she had been friends with since she had been in diapers, yes she was dreading seeing Dean and Teri, he would probably have his arms around her, comforting her and the there would be Nate, she didn't even want to think about seeing him.  
  
There was a knock on her bedroom door and Rory jumped in fright. She answered it without thinking about how little she was wearing, which happened to be a pair of boxer shorts and a tank top. On the other side of the door stood an open mouthed Tristan. He stood gaping at her for a few minutes until Rory cleared her throat.  
  
'Hey.' He said sheepishly.  
  
'Hey yourself.'  
  
'I just wanted to make sure you were okay, y'know, say goodnight and all that.'  
  
'I'm okay.'  
  
'Are you sure?'  
  
'No.'  
  
'Well, if you need to talk.'  
  
'You'll be the first to know.' Rory smiled.  
  
'Might I just add,' Tristan said to her in a seductive voice 'that you look damn sexy right now.'  
  
Rory blushed, for the first time she noticed the serious lack of clothes she had on. Tristan noticed the blush, leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
'Night Mary.'  
  
*  
  
Rory got up early the next morning. She was completely exhausted, she hadn't gotten a whole lot of sleep the previous night and now the reason for her insomnia was a mere few hours away. She threw on a dressing gown and made her way downstairs, in desperate need of coffee. The kitchen was deserted; evidently she was the first up. Sitting at the counter, she waited for the coffee maker to finish doing its job. When it was done, she poured herself the biggest cup she could and sat back down. She pulled the phone towards her and dialled the now familiar number.  
  
'Hello?'  
  
'Hi Mom.'  
  
'Hey sweets. How are you?'  
  
'I'm okay, its weird being back but I haven't seen anyone yet, well not anyone I didn't want to see anyway.'  
  
'What time is it over there?'  
  
'Half six.'  
  
'You're awake early.'  
  
'No I'm not.'  
  
'Be kind, rewind.'  
  
'To be awake early, you have to be asleep, technically I'm up late.'  
  
'So, dread has taken hold then.'  
  
'You could say that, at least I'm not alone, I have Tristan and the others.'  
  
'Since when does Tristan deserve individual recognition?'  
  
'Since I realised that he's a great guy. I would be able to do this without him mom. I even showed him my spot yesterday.'  
  
'No way! I'm not even allowed to see that.'  
  
'I know, I really like him mom.'  
  
'Then what's stopping you from telling him that.'  
  
'Nate.'  
  
'Honey, I don't want to sound cruel but you have to let that go, you let it ruin your relationship with Dean. Don't let it ruin whatever you have with Tristan.'  
  
'Dean ruined my relationship with him, he cheated, I didn't.'  
  
'I know that, but after the whole Nate thing, you and Dean were never the same.'  
  
'And that's my fault?'  
  
'I never said that but if you let Tristan slip away, you will regret it.'  
  
'What should I do?'  
  
'Here's a crazy thought, why don't you tell him?'  
  
'I can't.'  
  
'It's up to you, of course it is but I think you're making a mistake by not trusting him.'  
  
'I trusted Dean, look what happened there.'  
  
'Honey, Tristan isn't Dean and you didn't tell Dean this.'  
  
'Good thing too.'  
  
'I agree but I do think Tristan deserves to be trusted.'  
  
'I'll think about it. I should go, Bessie will be up soon.'  
  
'Okay and tell Bessie I said hi.'  
  
'I will. I love you.'  
  
'Love you too.'  
  
Rory hung up the phone and finished her coffee. She made her way back upstairs, deciding on a shower before the rest of the house was looking for one. As the hot water beat down on her, Rory felt the sleepiness of the early morning leave her; she was alert and thinking about her conversation with her mother.  
  
What if Lorelai was right? Rory didn't deny that her relationship with Dean had changed after Nate came along but that was hardly her fault, sure she had flirted with him but she had also made it clear she was with Dean and that she loved him. She couldn't tell Dean what had happened, he and Nate were best friends, and they still were. Rory had only ever told her family and Amy about what had happened with Nate.  
  
She regretted doing it now, telling Amy had been a mistake, she hadn't wanted to tell her but it was the right thing to do. She and Nate had been going out and Amy was completely in love with him. It had broken Rory's heart to tell her and even now she believed it was the reason Amy had started using.  
  
Rory could feel the tears warming behind her eyes. Quickly she shut off the water and wrapped a towel around herself. She went back into her room and got changed. She turned on the radio, hoping to distract herself; instead a song came on that only served to remind her of what was going on in her life.  
  
* She grew up with the children of the stars In the Hollywood hills and the boulevard Her parents threw big parties Everyone was there They hung out with folks like Dennis Hopper, Bob Segar and Sonny and Cher  
  
She feels safe now in this borough in Fairfax And form the stage I can tell that she can't let go and she can't relax Just before she hangs her head to cry I sing to her, a lullaby.  
  
Everything's gonna be alright, rock-a-by, rock-a-by Everything's gonna be alright, rock-a-by, rock-a-by Rock-a-by *  
  
Rory couldn't listen to anymore; she switched the radio off and stalked back into the bathroom to do her hair. Fifteen minutes later, she came back downstairs to find everybody else eating breakfast. It was seven forty five and the funeral was at nine. She couldn't bring herself to eat anything so instead she poured herself some more coffee. For the most part everyone was quiet; Rory figured they could tell how apprehensive she was. Finally, eight fifteen came and it was time to leave.  
  
The girls got into the limo first, all of them wearing modest black dresses and coats, the guys followed in suits. Lane took one of Rory's hands in hers, trying to give her best friend some comfort. Taking a leaf out of her book, Tristan did the same with her other hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze and Rory mustered a half smile in thanks. They pulled up at the church and got out. The yard was a sea of black. Rory was the last to get out of the limo. When she did, she instinctively took Tristan's hand. She scanned the crowd and almost immediately spotted her old friends.  
  
The first person she saw was Dean and as she had predicted, he had his arms wrapped around Teri. Standing next to them were Elizabeth and Jane. Michael and Billy joined them as Rory watched and lastly, Nate came. Rory looked at them and then to her friends who were all huddled around her in support and protectiveness lest anyone say anything to her. Elizabeth looked up and saw Rory, she frowned and turned to the others, immediately all eyes were on Rory and the group of teens began to move towards her.  
  
'Tristan.' She said quietly.  
  
Tristan followed her gaze and his brow furrowed. He tapped Alex's arm and immediately all the guys were looking at Rory's old friends, judging by the looks on their faces, they were trying to stay calm out of respect for where they were. Rory looked panicked but had to put on a brave face, they were feet apart now and Rory could tell none of them were happy to see her.  
  
'Rory, long time no see.' Elizabeth crooned not even looking at her; her eyes were firmly fixed on Tristan who only moved closer to Rory.  
  
'What the hell are you doing here Ror?' Dean asked without even a trace of warmth in his voice.  
  
'I came to pay my respects.' Rory replied; her voice even.  
  
'What gives you the right-' Jane began but was cut off by Nate.  
  
'Whoa go easy guys, having Rory back will be just like old times.' He smiled.  
  
Nate moved in, in an attempt to give Rory a kiss on the cheek as a hello but as soon as he came near her, Rory pushed him away  
  
'Don't touch me you creep.' She cried and bolted.  
  
Tristan didn't waste any time in chasing after her but he made sure to bump into Dean on the way.  
  
'What is her drama?' Teri spewed.  
  
'I'm just guessing here but it might have something to do with you losers.' Louise said in disgust.  
  
'Us? Who here is showing p at the funeral of a person we've never met?' Billy spat back.  
  
'We're here for Rory. Unlike you guys, we know how to behave like friends.' Mike replied.  
  
Dean looked like he was about to say something but then on looking around, he thought better of it.  
  
'We'll finish this little conversation later. Now isn't the time.'  
  
'What do you know? This guy showing a little respect.' Brad scoffed before leaving, the others trailing behind, all wondering where the hell Rory and Tristan were gone.  
  
A/N hey all thanks for the reviews on the last chapter and I promise the next will be better and trust me there will be better action between the two groups and rorys secret will come out! You know what to do. 


	17. Revelations

A/N: Wow, the reviews, what can I say? Thank you so much to everybody who took the time out to review, it means a lot. Sorry it took me so long to get this out, I had a pretty hard time writing it and I can happily say that questions are answered in this chapter!!!!  
  
People seem to be getting fed up of the cliff hangers but the only thing I have to say about that is that I only intentionally put one cliff hanger into this story and that was in A Near Miss. If they are annoying you I apologise but I don't feel that I'm putting any in, not anything big anyway. On with the story:  
  
Tristan ran after Rory, who despite the fact that she was in heels was pretty fast. Rory couldn't believe Nate. How could he stand there and pretend like everything was okay when he had hurt her probably more than even Dean had? She knew Tristan was following her but she didn't wait for him, she didn't want him to see her like this, she didn't want to tell him. Eventually she stopped in a little garden at the back of the church. She heard footsteps as Tristan slowed down to a walk and came up behind her.  
  
'Are you okay? Rory?' he asked, has voice filled with concern.  
  
'I'm fine, I just need a minute. Go back to the others before Brad decides to deck someone.'  
  
'Can't do that.' He said simply.  
  
'Why?'  
  
'I don't want to leave you on your own.'  
  
'I told you I'm fine.'  
  
'Really, I hadn't noticed.'  
  
'Look Tristan, I appreciate you being worried but can you just go?'  
  
Tristan could hear the tears in her voice. That's when he grabbed her and spun her around to face him.  
  
'Rory, just talk to me please. I want to help.'  
  
'You can't, no one can.'  
  
'I can try.'  
  
'I can handle Dean, I can handle Teri but what I can't handle is talking about what is wrong so will you please just drop it?'  
  
'No I can't. What is it about that Nate guy huh? What did he do?'  
  
'Tristan please.' Rory begged, tears falling down her face.  
  
Tristan's heart broke at the sight of Rory crying but he knew he had to continue, he had to know.  
  
'Rory I'm begging you here. Just talk to me.'  
  
'He is just a person from my past that I thought was a friend. I was wrong. We should get back.'  
  
'What did he do to you Rory?'  
  
'Tristan, I really can't talk about this.'  
  
'Well you have to sooner or later.'  
  
'Fine, make it later then.'  
  
'No, how about sooner?'  
  
'You wanna know? You really wanna know? Fine here goes. I have known him my whole life, I thought of him as a big brother, he looked out for me y'know? One night, we were all at a party, he and his girlfriend broke up, I had a fight with Dean, and we were talking then.'  
  
'Then what Rory?'  
  
'He kissed me. I pulled away, it was like kissing my brother and I was still with Dean.he called me a tease and a whore.he grabbed me and he started kissing me again. I tried to pull away but he was too strong. He had jerked up my skirt, my top was torn. Someone knocked at the door. He just swore and yelled at the person to piss off, I screamed for help. He slapped me and told me fuck up and he was about to - but then Amy's brother mark burst in, he had heard me screaming. He hit Nate and took me home, I begged him not to tell anyone, and he said he wouldn't. Amy and Nate got together a while after and then I knew I had to tell her.'  
  
Tristan was on overload. His hands were clenched into fists and he was muttering something about killing him and making him pay. He couldn't believe this, he felt like such a jerk all those innuendos and Mary references, that time at her party where he grabbed her and kissed her, the fight they'd had about her being attracted to him.it all made sense. Rory was looking at him with fear in her eyes. She didn't know how he was reacting and he hadn't said anything.  
  
'Tristan? Say something. Please.'  
  
He didn't say anything, instead he pulled her into his arms and held her tight, Rory cried and he kissed her hair, telling her everything was going to be fine. All the time, in his head he was torn between kicking himself and killing Nate in the most painful ay imaginable.  
  
Rory sobbed into his shirt and he knew he had to say something, comfort her in whatever way he could.  
  
'I am so sorry Rory.'  
  
Rory was caught off guard, of all the responses, she hadn't expected that.  
  
'Why are you apologising, it's not like you did anything wrong.'  
  
'All those times I was a jerk and-'  
  
Rory cut him off by putting a finger to his lips.  
  
'I liked it that way; you treated me like I was normal, like I was better than normal. You acted like you wanted me but you were willing to wait.'  
  
'That wasn't an act Ror, but all those Mary references.'  
  
'I don't want them to stop. I am a virgin Tristan; I came close to not being one but not by choice. It's cute that you have a nickname for me.'  
  
Tristan half smiled, cupping her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. She wiped away the tears that were still spilling.  
  
'I'm meant to be the one doing the comforting thing, not you trying to make me feel better.' He said. Rory attempted a weak smile but it failed. They stayed like that for a minute before the church bell began ringing, signifying the beginning of the funeral.  
  
*  
  
The funeral mass was over and they were now gathered at the Stephens- Taylor estate for the wake. Rory and Tristan had slipped in at the back of the funeral and even though he moved to the back of the church, she had pulled him with her to the front where she was expected to sit. As luck would have it, Nate had been on the edge and Tristan made sure it was him, not Rory, who sat beside him. For the whole service, Rory could feel the anger coming from Tristan and she knew that he was trying his hardest to stay calm.  
  
Now they were at the wake, emotions were running high. The gang felt uncomfortable, like they were intruding and Rory just wanted to escape but she couldn't. Amy's parents had thanked her for coming and her brother Mark had made sure to stop by to speak to her. He asked if she was okay and if Nate had said anything. During the whole thing, Rory's old friends had stayed far away, not now though. Disgusted by Rory fawning all over Tristan, Dean couldn't help himself. He went to speak to her.  
  
'Rory, can I talk to you? Alone?' he asked pointedly looking at Tristan.  
  
Tristan didn't look happy and he made a defensive step towards Dean but Rory looked at him, her eyes pleading. He nodded and let go of her hand. Rory moved away with Dean, Tristan never took his eyes off the pair.  
  
'What the hell are you doing here Rory?' Dean asked for the second time that day.  
  
'I have a right to be here.'  
  
'What, parading your new friends? They didn't even know Amy.'  
  
'They know me.'  
  
'Lets just make a big party of it then, I'll distract everyone while you and Ken over there slip away, you guys can use Amy's room, I'm sure nobody would mind.' He spat.  
  
Rory looked like she had been slapped in the face but she recovered herself quickly.  
  
'Leave Tristan out of this Dean. This has to do with us. What the hell do you want?'  
  
'Not much, just an explanation really, you think its okay for you to just ignore me for weeks and move without telling me? Then come back here flaunting a new boyfriend at Amy's funeral? What kind of heartless bitch are you?'  
  
'I'm heartless? I do believe you were the one that cheated on me with my best friend. Don't you dare try to tell me how to act, what's right and wrong.'  
  
'Look, I know you're still pissed about that but I really didn't wan to hurt you. We were going out for nearly a year and we got to second base, c'mon Rory.'  
  
'Did you ever wonder why at first I was willing but then I went cold? Did it ever occur to you that maybe there was something wrong? I didn't think so, typical of you Dean, just enough brain power to use one thing at a time and what you were using was a little below your head.'  
  
She left Dean standing there, amazed, this was a side to Rory he had never seen before. She had been right though, it had never occurred to him that there was a reason behind her coldness.  
  
He followed after her, grabbing her arm. She jerked away and Tristan, who had been watching the exchange, walked over and placed a protective arm around Rory. The other friends on both sides had seen the exchange also and both groups moved towards the three teens. Rory could see that thing would easily escalate and she had caused a big enough scene by returning, she didn't want anything else to happen in the presence of Amy's family.  
  
She motioned for everyone to follow her which they did, knowing why she was leaving the house. When she got outside, she made sure to pick an isolated place where they would disturb nobody, she had a feeling things were going to get ugly.  
  
'What the hell did you mean back there Rory?' Dean demanded of her.  
  
'Nothing, just forget I ever said anything.' She told him, looking around at the group forming around them.  
  
'No, I want to know what you were talking about.' Dean said forcefully.  
  
'Man, she doesn't want to tell you, she doesn't want to talk to you. Leave it.' Brad interjected, defending Rory out of habit, not because he knew what was going on.  
  
'Stay the hell out of this.' Nate yelled at him.  
  
'Nate, why don't you just do us all a favour and jump off a cliff?' Rory bit out.  
  
'That would make things nice and easy for you wouldn't it now Ror?' he replied.  
  
'If you think I care what you do you are sorely mistaken.' She told him.  
  
'Would anyone care to clue us in here?' Elizabeth asked.  
  
'No, we wouldn't.' Rory told her before looking to Tristan for support.  
  
'It's probably too complicated for you to comprehend anyway.' Madeline said looking at her.  
  
'What the hell would you know bitch?' Jane asked, venom in every syllable.  
  
'Aw, love the comeback, very fresh-man of you.' Louise said patronisingly.  
  
'Well come on Rory, we're all waiting here.' Billy smiled at her.  
  
'This is nobody's business but Rory's.' Nate interrupted.  
  
Tristan sighed, knowing he shouldn't do what he was about to do.  
  
'You'd love that wouldn't you asshole? For Rory to shut up right now and keep your little secret. You're a sick fuck who deserves to be locked up.'  
  
Everyone looked at Nate for an explanation but instead he just laughed.  
'Let me guess, she gave you some little sob story about how I'm a jerk and you lapped it up because that would explain her behaviour, why you haven't gotten any wouldn't it?'  
  
Tristan looked at Rory and back to Nate, next thing, he flung himself at Nate and punched him, square in the jaw. Nate fell backwards into Billy's arms. He stood up and touched his jaw and felt the blood at the side of his mouth. Instead of hitting Tristan back he just looked at him.  
  
'Did I hit a nerve?'  
  
'The only thing that got hit was you. Call Rory a liar again and it won't just be me who's doing the hitting.'  
  
'I'm so scared.' Nate smiled 'Look around man, you are on our home ground, we could have the shit kicked out of you they'll be feeding you through a tube.'  
  
'I'd like to see you try.' Alex told him, a weird smile on his face. Michael went to grab him but Alex turned and hit him before Michael got a clear shot at him. Billy went to jump him but Mike grabbed him and Brad punched him in the gut. Nate moved towards Tristan but Dean had had enough, he wanted to know what Rory had meant and why the hell his best friend seemed to be involved.  
  
'Enough!' he cried, 'Everyone fuck up!'  
  
Maddy, Louise, Paris and Lane were in the middle of a verbal cat fight with Jane, Elizabeth and Teri. Dean hadn't yelled quick enough however and when he looked around, he saw Rory picking Tristan up for the ground. Billy and Michael were restraining Nate. When he stood back up, Rory had to beg Tristan to stop and just to make sure, Alex and Brad had him by the arms holding him. Mike had taken it upon himself to separate the girls.  
  
'Rory, what the hell are they talking about?' Dean asked. Rory stayed silent. Tristan looked at her in disbelief and Nate had a smirk on his face. He could see that she wasn't going to say anything. He had won.  
  
'Rory, tell him or I will.' Tristan demanded of her.  
  
'It was bad enough telling you Tristan, I can't do it again.'  
  
'If you don't then he wins. He's not worth protecting Rory.'  
  
Rory looked from Dean to Tristan and to Nate. She knew Tristan was right, she had to tell them but she didn't know how.  
  
'Rory, tell me. Better coming from you that Ken doll over there.' Dean said.  
Rory looked away before looking Dean in the eye.  
  
'Do you remember the party where we had our first fight? Anna dumped Nate that night?'  
  
'Yeah, I remember.'  
  
'Nate and I were talking when he kissed me, I pulled away but then he tried to rape me. He nearly did but Mark came in and hit him. He took me home and I made him swear not to tell anyone.'  
  
Dean looked from Rory to Nate and he was torn. He didn't know who to believe, his ex whose story fit the time frame of the decline of their relationship or his best friend who had been like a brother to him. Rory saw his hesitation and she couldn't believe it, he doubted her. She took Tristan's hand and looked at Dean before walking away slowly, her friends following her. They made their way back to the waiting limo and drove home. Nobody spoke for the rest of the ride.  
  
A/N: there it is, my longest chapter to date to make up for my lack of updating in the past few days, I hope this is okay for everybody, this chapter dealt with, what I would think anyway, a sensitive subject so I hope that nobody was offended and I would really appreciate feedback on how I handled it. Thanks again for the reviews and for reading this story. Katie xxx 


	18. About Time

WOW! What can I say that hasn't already been said? Thank you so much for all of the reviews, never in my wildest dreams did I expect a response like this! Just a quick few notes: The song in chapter 16 is Lullaby by Sean Mullen. I never meant to imply that Nate and Rory had been having an affair, I wanted to give hints as to what happened without saying it in 16 and I'm sorry if anyone was confused by his actions in the last chapter.  
  
When they reached the Hayden mansion, they got out of the limo and wordlessly walked back into the house. Rory didn't say anything but instead went straight to her room and locked the door behind her. Her friends didn't know what to say, they didn't know how to react to what Rory had said to Dean about Nate. They turned to Tristan who had known about the whole thing but he wasn't much help.  
  
'Guys, she only told me today.'  
  
'But you must know something.' Paris said earnestly, trying to do something that would make her fell less helpless.  
  
'I don't.'  
  
Tristan went to make his way upstairs but Lane put her hand on his arm to stop him.  
  
'Give her space.'  
  
Tristan nodded silently before continuing on towards his own room. He changed out of the suit he had worn for the funeral and into a jeans and t- shirt. He was inspecting his swollen, split lip in the mirror when he heard a noise. He went to the window and looked out. Despite the pain it caused him, he smiled. He grabbed a blanket and tossed it out the window before running back down the stairs and out the back door before anyone saw him. For his plan to work, he had to stay hidden.  
  
He moved as silently as he could while carrying the bulky blanket and trying to navigate his way down the uneven path Rory had practically raced down. He knew she need her space and some time to deal with what had happened. His head told him to turn back but he knew Rory was planning on not going back tonight and he also knew she hadn't brought anything with her.  
  
When he reached the deck, it didn't shock him to see her sitting at the edge, staring out at the sky that was starting to show streaks of pink and purple. It didn't surprise him to see the tears running silently down her cheeks. What did surprise him was that despite the tears, there was a watery half smile on her face. He was taken aback by this but he was forced to recover quickly as she spoke to him.  
  
'Are you going to join me or stand and stare?' she asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.  
  
'I don't know, I mean I quite like the view from here.' He smirked.  
  
He didn't have to see her eyes to tell she rolled them at his last comment.  
  
'You just never give up do you?'  
  
'I can't help it, it's like the second I see you I have to come on to you.' He grinned; he walked to her slowly and sat beside her. Still, she didn't look at him.  
  
'So that was quite the show today huh?'  
  
'Yeah, nice performance by the way, how long did it take for you to perfect the 'I don't care' face?'  
  
'Sixteen and a half years, how about you?'  
  
'Roughly the same I guess.'  
  
'You weren't wearing it today.'  
  
'No I wasn't.' he agreed, embarrassed by the emotion he had shown earlier.  
  
'Why?'  
  
'I cared too much.'  
  
'Nice use of the past tense there.'  
  
'What?' Tristan asked confused.  
  
'You're speaking in the past tense, as in you did care but I guess you've come to your senses, now you've seen just how screwed up I am you don't anymore.'  
  
'You really don't think too highly of me do you? Tristan asked not hiding the hurt in his voice.  
  
'Not you, just guys in general.'  
  
'Okay let me rephrase, I care too much, if it's possible I care more.'  
  
'Why? Why do you care about me?'  
  
'You really don't understand do you?'  
  
'No I don't.'  
  
'That is why I care because you can't see why I do, you are so amazing and smart and funny. You're different. You're real despite having grown up in society, I love how you come on to me just to get your own way but are still amazed when I give in, I love how you are so stubborn, I love that you and your mom are best friends . I could say more but it will slowly and surely get even cheesier.'  
  
'What? The infamous Tristan DuGrey player extraordinaire get cheesy over a girl? Never!'  
  
'Don't be so sure about that Mary, you have no idea of the kind of power you can exert over me, for you I could go from naught to sappy in point five seconds.'  
  
He looked at Rory who still refused to look at him, that didn't stop her turning a lovely shade of pink however. He looked hard at her and he studied the lines of her face, she was tired, and not just from lack f sleep, this was a different kind of tired, like she had been to hell and back. Tristan realised just how true his analogy was, she had been to heel and back today, never mind any other time.  
  
'I can't believe he thought I was lying.' Rory finally said, he voice small.  
  
'He's an ass if he can't see how good you are, how pure.'  
  
'The others, I don't even have words to say to describe them, heartless would be a good place to start I guess.'  
  
'Heartless is good, they all are.'  
  
'And Nate! God! He was my rock, whenever I had anything going n, he was there, my parents practically saw him as their son, he didn't knock, he just came into the house, he was allowed into my room, he was better than my brother and for him to try and do that, and then to deny it? What kind of person does that?'  
  
'I don't know.' Tristan answered honestly.  
  
'I just wish - I wish they didn't have so much power over me, I wish I could let it go, I mean I am so over Dean, don't even get me started I was over him the second he even had the tiniest bit of doubt in me. It's Nate why do I have to feel like this, why does it still hurt?'  
  
'I wish I could answer that for you, I wish I could make the pain go away but I can't, nothing can fix that kind of betrayal, it will stop hurting, especially now that you've told people.'  
  
'You are too good to me,' Rory said as she finally turned to face Tristan.  
  
'It's about time you realised that.' He joked  
  
Rory was about to say something but then she saw his lip, he hand immediately moved to touch his face, to see if he was okay.  
'Your lip-'  
  
'Its fine, my bruised ego is worse.' He grinned to hide the truth of his words.  
  
Still, Rory's hand didn't move from his face, Tristan turned his face in, allowing her to cup his cheek in her tiny hand. He felt like it was the first time a girl had touched him, his heart was beating faster, his skin tingled, his breath ragged. He looked to Rory who, despite her blush, didn't move her hand. She ran a finger lightly over his lips and he kissed her fingertip gently, not wanting to scare her. The simple gesture sent shivers down Rory's spine and made her stomach do back flips. Almost subconsciously, they moved closer to each other.  
  
Then Rory did something that surprised them both, she leaned forward and touched her lips gently against his. What started out as a tentative kiss soon grew in heat and passion, Tristan licked her lower lip, demanding entrance to her mouth which she readily granted. Their tongues did battle for a moment before Rory gave in and allowed his tongue to explore her mouth. As an automatic reaction, his hand found his way to her face, caressing her cheek softly before he pulled away.  
  
Tristan looked at Rory in amazement, he could still taste her in his mouth, feel her touch on his lips. Roy blushed but didn't make any attempt to pull away; instead she rested her forehead against his and let out a contented sigh.  
  
'Thank you, for being here through all this.'  
  
'Thank you, for the kiss, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that.'  
  
Rory smiled and blushed again; Tristan captured her lips in his and kissed her again, briefly before standing up. Rory looked at him curiously as he walked back towards the path but stopped at the edge and grabbed something before walking back to her. It was a blanket. She smiled as he sat back down and wrapped her in his arms, covering them both in the blanket. Neither said anything as they looked out over the water and watched the sun sink, painting the sky in a red glow.  
  
A/N: I hope this is as sweet as it sounded in my head when I was planning it, pure Troryness in this chapter, I thought it was about time to move it past the hand holding for support, if you have anything to say at all, you know what to do! Katie xxx 


	19. Goodbye

OMG I AM SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE! SORRY SORRY SORRY! BAD KATIE!!!! Thanks so much for all of the reviews as per usual, I am astounded by the response. You may or may not be happy to know that this story is coming to an end. You also may or may not be pleased to know that I have another in the works and am considering a sequel to this but I haven't decided anything yet, I'll let you guys decide after you read the last chapter which will be coming very soon! In the meantime here's the next part!  
  
Rory opened her eyes slowly becoming aware of the world around her. She was out on the deck, the sun was shining and there was a blanket over her, all of these were familiar to her, she had woken up like this many times but now there was an unfamiliar weight on her stomach and continued around her waist. She looked down to see an arm and it was then that realisation dawned on her. She looked to her right where a still sleeping Tristan laid peacefully, his lips curved into a small smile.  
  
She was lying on her back and he on his side, she turned to face him and lay him down flat on his back before curling up on his chest. As she lay there, the events of last night played as a silent movie in her mind, them talking, her kissing him, him kissing her and getting the blanket. They had laid in silence after the sunset and had kissed again. It quickly became heated and Tristan had pulled away, telling her they were going too fast, that he was taking advantage.  
  
That was when she knew her mom had been right; she hadn't made a mistake in telling him. He had assured her over and over last night that he was perfectly happy to take things at whatever pace Rory wanted, that he was just happy to be able to hold her hand. She smiled at the memory; he had been so sweet and sincere. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to have any difficulty in falling for him, but he was right, they had to take things slow.  
  
She heard a groan coming from Tristan who was beginning to show signs of waking up. Rory couldn't help but smile, he was so cute; once you got past the player exterior he showed the world. She was pulled from her train of thought when his arms once again snaked around her waist and his lips softly brushed her hair. He mumbled something that sounded vaguely like 'morning.'  
  
Rory looked up at him and smiled, his eyes were sleepy, his hair was messy and he had a lazy grin.  
  
'Morning.' She giggled.  
  
In reply, Tristan rolled over so she was pinned beneath him and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. Rory sought to deepen the kiss and Tristan readily complied, savouring the feel of her mouth on his. He couldn't believe it, he had just woken up with Rory in his arms and now she was underneath him, kissing him, he could get used to this. Oxygen soon became an issue however and they broke the kiss, grinning at each other.  
  
'Hey.' He smiled.  
  
'Hey.' She blushed.  
  
Tristan loved that she blushed so easily, he loved that he had the power to make her blush, he had never had to try with any other girl, no matter what e said, they would take it, never blush. Rory was different, he got back whatever he gave with her despite the fact that she blushed at most of the things he said. He realised he had to take his time with her, she had been through too much to be comfortable with the level of physical contact he was used to having with girls but he was okay with that, he respected it. But, he conceded, it would be hard. He kissed her sweetly again before standing up and grabbing her hands to hoist her up.  
  
'C'mon,' he smiled 'let's get back before you start suffering from coffee deprivation.'  
  
Rory grinned; he knew her way to well.  
  
'It's not my fault if I need coffee to live.'  
  
'Whose fault is it then?' Tristan asked disbelievingly.  
  
'My Mom's, she was the one that gave me coffee as a baby.'  
  
'Who would give their baby coffee?'  
  
'My Mom, obviously.'  
  
'Was she insane?'  
  
'There is no was about it, she still is.'  
  
'I see.'  
  
'You became her favourite person when you gave me that voucher for my birthday.'  
  
'So she helped you spend it then?'  
  
'Gone in a week.'  
  
Tristan couldn't help but laugh, she and her mom had drunk a hundred dollars worth of coffee in a week, and that was only in Starbucks which was in Hartford, meaning they probably spent more in Stars Hollow as well.  
  
'I think I'll have to cut you off, it can't be healthy.'  
  
'Blasphemer! That is evil, take it back now or you lose all kissing privileges.'  
  
Tristan looked horrified.  
  
'I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, coffee is wonderful and you should have all the coffee in this world.'  
Rory grinned and stopped walking. He pulled Tristan to her and kissed him sweetly and way too briefly for his liking.  
  
'Apology accepted and kissing privileges restored but speak ill of coffee again and you will be punished severely.'  
  
'Yes ma'am.'  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Rory and the girls were sitting in Rory's room; they had kicked the boys out and were partaking in some serious girl-talk. Rory told them about the whole Nate thing and she cried some more, she told them about Amy and finally, about Tristan. When she said that they had finally gotten together, Paris triumphantly stuck out her hand. The girls rolled their eyes and took money out of their pockets and handed it to her. Rory looked at them, confused.  
  
'Guys, what's going on?'  
  
'I won the pool.' Paris told her as if that explained everything.  
  
'What pool?' Rory asked.  
  
'We had a pool going on how long it would take you and Tristan to get together. Paris said six weeks. It's been five and a half.' Louise explained.  
  
'You guys had a pool going on my love life?'  
  
'It's not as bad as it sounds, it's just we could tell you liked each other but we just wanted to see how long it would take for you to give in to Tristan.' Lane told her best friend.  
  
Rory laughed, she couldn't believe this; they had been so sure she would fall for him.  
  
'What made you so sure I'd give in?'  
  
'Rory are you blind, ever since Tristan noticed the existence of girls, he has gotten whoever he wanted, he didn't even like half of them, but you, you were a challenge, he never had to try with anyone but with you he did try. When Tristan DuGrey puts effort into something, it pays off.' Paris told her.  
  
Rory was about to say something but she was cut off by a knock on her door. Bessie came in and looked sadly at Rory.  
  
'Rory, you have a visitor at the door.'  
'Who is it?'  
  
'Dean.'  
  
'What the hell is he doing here?'  
  
'I don't know honey but he wants to talk to you.'  
  
'I'll be right down.'  
  
Rory's friends looked at her in disbelief, after yesterday how could she even entertain thoughts of speaking to him? They didn't need to say anything however as Rory didn't give them the chance.  
  
'I have to do this, I'll regret it if I don't. Don't worry I'll be fine.' She told them before leaving the room.  
  
She found him on the doorstep, looking at his feet. He looked up as she approached.  
  
'Rory.'  
  
'Dean what the hell are you doing here?'  
  
'Can we talk?'  
  
'What do we have to talk about?'  
  
'What you said yesterday.'  
  
'What about it?'  
  
'Can we go somewhere more private or at least to where Bessie is out of earshot?'  
  
'I guess.' She said, leading him out to the porch where there was a swinging seat.  
  
They both sat and ignored the fact that they had spent a lot of time on this very seat, making out, or just lying, holding each other. They were silent for a few minutes until Dean got the courage t speak.  
  
'Why didn't you tell me?'  
  
'Look at your reaction yesterday and you might know the answer.'  
  
'I'm sorry about that.'  
  
'Are you saying you believe me?'  
  
'Yes.'  
  
'What made you change your mind?'  
  
'I spoke to Nate and there was just something, he tried to tell me you came on to him and were just trying to cove your tracks, but why would you do that, it's not like it matters now and if that was the case why didn't he tell me when it happened?'  
  
'Wow, you used your brain, I bet that hurt.'  
  
'I deserve that I guess.'  
  
'You deserve a whole lot worse.'  
  
'I do. God Ror, I wish you had told me.'  
  
'What would it have achieved?'  
  
'I would never have cheated on you for one.'  
  
'Don't say that, you don't know that, even if that was your reason for cheating, if you had really cared about me you wouldn't have done it.'  
  
'C'mon Ror, I'm a teenage guy and I had a girlfriend who would barely let me touch her? No matter how much I cared it was frustrating.'  
  
'That leads us back to my question yesterday. Did it not occur to you that there was something wrong?'  
  
'No, funnily enough, I thought that if there was something wrong my girlfriend would tell me.'  
  
'And I have to live with the decision to not tell you so don't try and lay a guilt trip on me.'  
  
'Do you ever wonder what if it never happened?'  
  
'I used to but not now.'  
  
'Do you think we would still be together?'  
  
'No, I've accepted that, I've realised something, I loved you Dean but I wasn't in love with you.'  
  
'But you love Ken Doll?'  
  
'I don't know; he didn't become my boyfriend until last night.'  
  
'Yeah right.'  
  
'It's true, we've liked each other for weeks but I wouldn't give in, he reminded me of you and I didn't think I could trust him.'  
  
'But now you do?'  
  
'He's been my rock for the past few days, I really can't describe it, he's a great guy and I do think that I will love him, I can already feel myself falling but I think we need to date for a while before I go making declarations of love.'  
  
'Was the night Amy OD'd for the first time the night I lost you?'  
  
'What does it matter?'  
  
'I need to know.'  
  
'No, it was the night Nate tried – I didn't want to tell you, I didn't think I could trust you to tell you, that's when I knew I wasn't in love with you.'  
  
'So you just pretended for another six months?'  
  
'No, I did love you just not in that way, I thought maybe it was too early, that I would be in love with you if I gave it time.'  
  
'I guess it's my loss then huh?'  
  
Dean stood up and turned to face her.  
  
'Just so you know, nobody is talking to Nate everyone feels horrible for how they treated you, I know you'll never be able to be out friend again but try not to hate us.'  
  
'I don't hate you, any of you, except Nate.'  
  
'Good to know.' Dean smiled 'Listen if you're ever in town, call us.'  
  
'Yeah, same to you guys if you're ever in Connecticut.'  
  
They nodded at each other, knowing they wouldn't call, yet more empty promises made in a relationship full of them. Too much had been said and done on either side to make up for the past, or to have a future, but the least they could do was pretend.  
  
'Goodbye Rory.'  
  
'Goodbye Dean.'  
  
As Rory watched him leave, she felt a single tear run down her cheek. The last tie to her childhood was walking away. There was no going back now, but, she realised as she smiled, she didn't want to go back.  
  
A/N: hope you enjoyed, don't know about the rest of ye but I felt it was a good idea to end the D/R thing on a semi-friendly note, I kind of turned him into a jerk but I wanted to show he had some kind of heart or else Rory would never have gone out with him in the first place now would she? 


	20. New Beginings

Welcome to the last chapter in Smile, some will be pleased, some will be disappointed. I just want to say thank you to everyone who took the time out to read this story and thank you to those who took the extra time to review. I am taking a poll so even if you review or email me I just want to know how many people want a sequel. Anyone who reviews, let me know whether you want one or not and if anyone would like to email me about anything, I'll leave my addy at the end of the page  
  
Rory fastened her bag and looked around her room, knowing this was probably the last time she would be in it. Chris was opening an office in Boston so he could be closer to her. It was definitely her childhood room; the walls were painted pink with a light blue ceiling, her chests and wardrobes white. It was a contrast to her room back in Stars Hollow and Rory was sad to be leaving it, it was like the last symbol of her childhood, one which now seemed further away than ever. In some ways she might be innocent but she knew now that whatever innocence she had once held onto was lost, she had seen too much and even though she didn't want to go back to that time of innocence, she did mourn its loss.  
  
She was pulled from her reverie by a knock on her door. Before she answered the door opened and Tristan walked in.  
  
'Hey.' He said simply.  
  
'Hi. You ready to go?' she asked as she allowed herself to be wrapped in his embrace.  
  
'I am, the question is, are you?'  
  
'I think I am, scratch that, I know I am. This isn't my home anymore.'  
  
'God, I'd hate to think you wanted to stay here because I'd miss you too much.'  
  
'You're such a sweetie.'  
  
'Don't tell anyone, I'll never live it down.'  
  
'Your secret is safe with me.'  
  
'Have I kissed you yet today?' he asked looking at her, knowing the answer.  
  
'Not anytime that I can think of.' She grinned, playing along.  
  
'Well we'll have to fix that.' He smirked before leaning down, taking her mouth in his. Rory's hands flew to his hair as his wrapped around her waist. They stayed that way for a while, kissing, exploring until they were interrupted.  
  
'Oh, sorry.' Lane apologised while blushing  
  
'It's okay,' Tristan smirked.  
  
'The car is here.' She told them before practically racing out of the room.  
  
Rory laughed and Tristan grinned, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the room. They said their goodbye's and got into the car, they were going home and truth be told, Rory had never been more eager to go there.  
  
Their plane had landed and Lorelai greeted them at the airport. She had hugged Rory for a solid ten minutes as soon as she saw her and Rory made no attempt to pull away. Lorelai treated them all to some coffee before they all parted ways. Everybody gave Rory a long hug and kissed her on the cheek. Tristan waited until last he hugged her briefly before lifting her face to his and kissing her gently. Everyone smiled at the scene in front of them, even Lorelai.  
  
'Bye.' Tristan whispered to Rory.  
  
'Bye, I'll see you tomorrow?'  
  
'Of course, it'll be our first day as King and Queen of Chilton.' He smirked  
  
'Ooh, I'll get my own coronation.' She smiled.  
  
'Well if I can't manage that I'll make sure to bring coffee.'  
  
'Nix the coronation, just want the coffee.'  
  
'Thought you would. Looks like your mom wants to get going, I'll see you tomorrow babe.'  
  
Rory blushed, she had forgotten about their audience and then Tristan had called her babe, her mom would never let go of that.  
  
'Bye.' She said, giving him a small peck on the lips before pulling away and following her mom and Lane out to the car park.  
  
Lorelai managed to keep her silence until they were in the car and that was when she let loose.  
  
'Oh, babe, I'm going to miss you so much for the whole twelve hours we'll be apart oh babe!'  
  
'Mom, enough or no details.'  
  
'Rory and Tristan, sitting in a tree...'  
  
'Finish that sentence and die.' Rory threatened.  
  
'K-I-S-S-I-N-G' Lorelai sang.  
  
'That's it, no coffee for you tonight missy.'  
  
'Hey, you can't do that, I'm the mom.'  
  
'Then act like one and not like a twelve year old.'  
  
'Do I have to?'  
  
'Only if you want coffee.'  
  
'Fine, Lane do you see what I have to put up with?'  
  
'Hey leave me out of it, I like having all body parts and if I stick up for you I'll never be able to steal Rory's cheeseburgers.'  
  
'Good point, you don't have to say anything, I know you side with me.'  
  
'No she doesn't, as my best friend she has to side with me.'  
  
'Does not.'  
  
'Does too.'  
  
'Guys enough!' Lane screamed form the back seat.  
  
'Sorry Lane.' Lorelai and Rory apologised simultaneously.  
  
'Seriously though Ror, you and Tristan huh?' Lorelai asked.  
  
'Yeah, me and Tristan.' Rory couldn't stop the stupid grin that formed when she said it.  
  
'Look at that grin, you have it bad.'  
  
'I do not have it bad; we haven't even gone on a date yet.'  
  
'No you just skipped that and went straight to making out.'  
  
'We did not, we'll get around to the dating thing at some stage, and we've only been together since Sunday night.'  
  
'It's now Monday night. You kept this information from me for all of this time?'  
  
'And miss the endless teasing by telling you on the phone, why would I want to do that?' Rory asked sarcastically.  
  
'I suppose you have a point, I might've caused less of a heart attack on my point when he started kissing you though.' Her mother chided playfully.  
  
'Sorry mom.'  
  
'It's cool. So Lane, you wanna get some real food before you go home and get pumped full of Tofu?'  
  
'Please.' She begged.  
  
'Okay, Luke's it is then.'  
  
Lorelai pulled up outside Luke's and killed the engine. She and the girls got out and went to do their favourite past time, annoy Luke.  
  
The offending alarm clock got severely punished for waking Rory up the following morning, not because it woke her up but because it woke her up late, so late in fact that she didn't have time to stop at Luke's, and only managed to grab one cup of her moms poor excuse for coffee. This was not the best start to the day, especially when she was going to be the subject of the gossips today.  
  
She managed to get to her locker without incident and found herself disappointed when Tristan wasn't there. She perked up however when she smelled coffee. She flung open her locker door and squealed in delight to see a giant cup sitting, waiting. She smiled to herself thinking that he always seemed to know when she needed coffee. As she finished the cup, she felt arms wrap around her waist and she smiled.  
  
'Morning Mary.'  
  
'Morning.' She giggled as he began nuzzling her neck from behind.  
  
Rory turned around in his embrace and looked up to see Tristan's knowing smirk. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, capturing his lips in a forceful kiss. At first Tristan was surprised but he got over it quickly and kissed her again as she began to pull away. She giggled as he did what he was good at, pushing her up against the lockers and ravaging her mouth. Not that either of them noticed but when they started their little show, the entire hall went quiet. They were used to seeing Tristan pushing some girl up against the lockers but Rory Gilmore? That was new. The guys smiled appreciatively and the girls shot daggers at her through their eyes.  
  
Someone cleared their throat beside Tristan and Rory. Tristan just waved the person off and continued to kiss Rory who didn't seem to put up to much of a fight. The person cleared their throat again and Tristan seemed to get annoyed.  
  
'What? Can't you see we're bus-' he began while pulling away from Rory.  
'I can see perfectly thank you Mr. DuGrey.' Came the voice of Headmaster Charleston.  
  
Tristan groaned as he turned to face the Headmaster who did not look one bit impressed.  
  
'Public Displays of Affection are strictly forbidden her at Chilton as you both know very well.'  
  
'Sorry sir.' Rory said sheepishly  
  
'Yeah, sorry sir.' Tristan agreed.  
  
'I think this will require a detention for both of you.'  
  
'Sir don't give Rory detention.' Tristan pleaded.  
  
'Why shouldn't I?' the man asked, his eyebrows raised.  
  
'Well, it's her first offence and really it's my fault.'  
  
'Okay, you get two detentions to make up for it then.'  
  
'Yes sir.' Tristan answered before the Headmaster walked away.  
  
'Tristan, you didn't have to do that.' Rory chided although quite pleased he had done it for her, he had never done it for anyone else. 'Now you have two detentions.'  
  
Tristan kissed her sweetly, making sure Charleston was gone. He pulled away completely, heading for class but he stopped and called back to her  
  
'You're worth it.'  
  
THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Is this a totally crap ending? I wasn't sure how to end it because I'm thinking of doing a sequel and I didn't want to have one of those 'I love you/ I love you too.' Endings. Please let me know what you think, and I would like to take a vote on a sequel so could anyone who reviews please tell me if you want one or if you don't. Thank to so much again to everyone who read this story, I really appreciate it, it was my first I can't say enough thank you's to everyone so again, thank you!  
  
Katie xxx  
angelfan51@hotmail.com 


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